RWBY: Alternative
by SuperSaiyanGod53
Summary: Imagine if a dramatic event changed Team RWBY’s lives. How would that affect their world and friends? A new enemy with unknown motives arrives to cause havoc in Remnant and the team is at their mercy. How will our heroines handle the challenge. Read to discover how hardship can shape or break a person’s heart and what it means to be a hero. Do you believe in destiny?
1. Prologue:RubyRose

_"We don't always get to live the life we want…...the life we are destined to. Things change: people, lands, even fate changes. We can't fight that. We can only go forward and be the best we can be."_-**Ruby Rose**

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"...and they lived happily ever after…...the end. Now how was that story, little rose?" Asked Summer Rose. She was a brunette woman in her mid-thirties. Her defining features were the white cloak she always wore, crimson-tipped hair that was currently in a bun, and her silver eyes.

A four-year old Ruby Rose answered, "It was kinda scary, but I think I liked it a lot. The ending was a little sad though." Ruby was an exact copy of her mother. The only difference being her white pajamas with red roses while her hair was cut short.

Summer smiled at her innocent daughter. "You're a tad bit too little to understand this Ruby, but sometimes there isn't always a happy ending. Bad things happen and people just have to move on."

Little Ruby looked a little downtrodden.

"Hey, don't look so sad. Believe it or not that's a good thing. It let's people make up their own happy endings. They get to be who they want, go do what they want, it's all part of the journey these story book heroes take, Ruby. It's what everyone inspires to be." Summer corrected. She mentally chastised herself at the thought of upsetting her youngest daughter.

"...I like it better when Yang reads me stories. They're more fun." Ruby states.

Summer took a look of mock offense. "Well your sister is off visiting your Uncle. When she's back tomorrow you can have her read stories to you since I'm no good at it." Summer pouted.

"Mommy!" Ruby giggled. "I was just playing! I like both your stories!"

"No. The damage has been done. No cookies for tomorrow; Yang can have all of them." Summer teased.

Ruby looked absolutely horrified. "NONONONO!! Mommy please I was just kidding! I want cookies too!" Ruby suddenly sat up and began shaking her mother. Summer was laughing the whole time.

"I got you back! We're even now." Summer lowered her daughters hands and tucked her into bed. Ruby simply crossed her arms and pouted.

"I promise to make enough cookies for both of you." Summer promised.

"Good!...but then you gotta go away again?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby we talked about this. I'm a huntress and that's what huntresses do. You don't have to worry. I promise I'll always come back to you and Yang." Summer leaned down to kiss Ruby on her forehead. Ruby looked content at that.

"Now it's past your bedtime. Get some sleep; you don't want to be too tired to play with Yang and bother your Uncle, right?" Summer jested.

"I guess." Little Ruby pouted.

"Then goodnight, my little rose." Summer walked away to turn on Ruby's nightlight before turning out the bedroom light; she needed it during the occasions her and Yang didn't share a room. She closed the door slowly as Ruby began to close her eyes.

Despite following the standard nightly ritual of a story before bed, little Ruby couldn't sleep. She was tossing, turning, and even throwing the blankets off just to put them back on when it became too cold. She was anxious about her mother's trip tomorrow. What if she got lost? What if she forgot about me?...what if she never came back? A child's imagination can be a gift and a curse.

After thirty minutes, Ruby heard a loud crash from downstairs. If that wasn't enough to startle her out of bed then the yelling definitely made her sit up. Her parents never fought so she wondered what could be making that noise.

Forgetting her security blanket, which was a red cloak, Ruby got up from her bed and creaked her door open. She could now hear slashing sounds and breaking furniture. Usually, a child would run back under their bed and wait until the noises stopped. However, curious little Ruby was not an ordinary child; she was going to be a huntress some day after all.

That is what she thought as she ignored her fear and began to walk out of the bedroom. She continued down the hallway where a loud thump echoed out. "Tai!" She heard. Hearing her father's name, Ruby ran faster down the stairs.

When she descended the steps to enter the living room what she found made her stop. There was tossed furniture parts, a broken table, scattered decoration pieces, and a smashed family portrait. In the corner was her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, who was on the living room floor with a large gash on his forehead. What was in the middle of the room is what stopped Ruby: her mother was currently fighting off a stranger in a black coat.

Summer's scythe laid shattered on the ground with it's shaft snapped in two. Summer had kicked the intruder away from her and turned to find Ruby with widened eyes. "Ruby! RUN!" Her mother commanded.

Ruby was still in shock at the situation so she couldn't move. Summer grabbed a lamp to attack the hooded figure but it casually blocked the object then grabbed Summer by her neck.

"Mommy!"

At her shout, the figure turned it's concealed face to look at the small child. It tossed Summer aside and began to walk towards Ruby. That's when reality caught up to Ruby and she turned to run. Then, the intruder held out their hand and a bright flash emanated from it. That's when Ruby stopped; everything stopped.

Ruby couldn't move her body no matter how hard she struggled. Summer was stuck in a pose that had her pushing herself up. The clock on the wall had ceased moving it's hands. The only thing that Ruby could see moving was the hooded person that continued to walk towards Ruby who was completely defenseless.

Ruby was internally panicking as the figure stopped in front of her. Their hands reached out towards Ruby who couldn't even shut her eyes or scream in terror. Then, something just as strange happened. A blur broke through the front door of her house then knocked the figure away. Ruby couldn't see this new intruder as they picked up her up flew back out the door.

Ruby was holding on tight to whatever was carrying her. Everything was going by so fast that she couldn't tell where she was or who was carrying her away. Suddenly, Ruby's feet found the ground in the woods. She turned around wildly scanning her new surroundings. Her eyes widened as she realized she could move again. However, her brief relieve was suddenly overwhelmed by great concern.

"Where's my house? Mom! Mommy!!! Daddy!!!" Ruby cried. Her eyes began to tear up.

"Think Ruby." She said out loud. "This is where I usually play……….so home must be that way!" She summarized. It took maybe two minutes before Ruby arrived at her doorstep. The door was broken inward, but now the house was silent. Ruby gathered up her courage like before and walked back into the house.

"M-m-mommy? Daddy? Is the bad man gone?" Ruby asked. She continued walking until she reached the living room again. The bad man was gone, but he left something behind.

"MOMMY!!!" Rwby shouted and ran to her mother who was bleeding and unmoving on the floor. Summer's eyes were wide open, but she still wasn't moving. There's was a large stab wound in her chest which must have been caused by the bloody kitchen knife that rested at her side.

Ruby shook her mother. "Mom! What happened?!...mom? Mom?!" She shook harder."Say something mommy!...Say something mommy! Why won't you talk to me?! I'm sorry for running away! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!! I'm sorry!!!" Ruby cried against her mother's shoulder. Summer's blood was painting Ruby's white clothes dark red; completely covering the roses.

"I'm sorry. Please don't leave mommy…….you promised you wouldn't leave me. I don't want you to go away……." the words were drowned out by police sirens that echoed out as officers had arrived at the house.

The police would arrest Taiyang for the murder of his wife. No one believed Ruby as she cried out saying a black-cloaked man did it. Qrow and Yang arrived earlier to pick up Ruby at the police station. She had to explain to them the real reason why Summer was gone.

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**-10 years later**

A fourteen-year old Ruby Rose shot up in her bed with a yell. She was panting and sweating; startled from her nightmare.

'Calm down Ruby, it's just a dream.' Ruby thought. Except this dream was a memory, but she just wanted to calm down. She felt a furry mass jump on her bed and nudge up against her. It sniffed her the proceeded to lick her face.

"Hahaha, Zwei stop it! I'm okay." Ruby giggled.

Zwei slept in Ruby's room on account of her being home alone. It was either that or break out the old nightlight, but if she did that then Yang or Qrow would never let her hear the end of it. While petting her family dog, Ruby heard a crash downstairs. She quickly stood up and walked to her door to check outside. Ruby opened the door to the smell of something delicious.

Ruby adopted a gleeful look, "Is that…." she asked, speeding down the hallway in a red streak of rose petals.

"Breakfast!" She exclaimed when she reached the kitchen. What she was smelling was her Uncle Qrow making a omelet with hash browns. Qrow turned to his youngest niece.

"Hey kid, you couldn't just sleep in a few more minutes and not spoil the surprise?" Ruby ran up and hugged her Uncle. With one hand occupied with the stove, Qrow simply pat Ruby on the head with his other hand.

She backed away. "I'm just so surprised that you're back already! How was the trip to Anima?"

"It was cold. I don't like taking trains and I especially don't like traveling that close to Atlas where Ice queens hides in an ivory tower…….ahhhh but Oz asked me and you know how that goes. Well, when you're finally old enough you'll understand." Qrow complained.

Back when Ruby was little, Qrow was usually gone on hunter missions which were mostly assigned to him by Ozpin, Beacon's Headmaster. Whenever Ruby did see him he either smelled of alcohol or was too tired to play with her. However, in the following years when he had to take in Ruby and Yang, Qrow cleaned himself up by controlling his drinking, attempting daily hygiene, and just trying to be there for the kids. He still maintained the persona off 'cool, reckless uncle' but now he was just more responsible.

Ruby sat at the wooden kitchen table. "I can't even imagine. I only just finished my first year at Signal." Ruby propped up her feet. "I'm just gonna enjoy my days off."

"Feet off the table." Qrow said without turning to look at her. Ruby pouted but did as he asked. "Ssssoooo how long are you gonna be home?"

"Relax kid. I talked to Oz and he's given me summer vacation, too. So now we can both enjoy days off." Qrow grinned. "Don't think it's gonna be easy sailing though, we should practice with your sytche."

"Ha!" Ruby pointed at him. "Me and crescent rose are gonna send you flying!"

"You mean the new one or the one you broke?"

"I didn't break it! It was a malfunction! That's common with new weapons! Just you wait because I'm almost done with my sweetheart." Ruby declared.

"Uh huh." Qrow dismissed. He set two plates of food on the table. "Now eat up cuse balanced breakfast and all that."

"...there's no alcohol in these eggs right?"

"I don't even have my flask on me. Just eat." Qrow grumbled. He and Ruby sat down.

"Wait……..there's only two plates." Ruby asked.

"Yeah, that's usually how much two people…...oh…...you thought…….sorry kid. Yang isn't back yet." Qrow ribbed his neck awkwardly.

"...I thought that……...well since you came back for the anniversary that Yang would, too." Ruby looked downcasted.

"Ruby, listen. You know I've tried to do right by Summer and Tai with helping you kids. That being said, I'm not exactly 'parent' material and have probably dropped the ball a few times. I wanted to respect that you guys have your right to freedom, especially since you both are going to be huntresses. I guess with Yang I let her have too much leeway. I don't know what she's up too, but don't you doubt for a second that she's thinking of you."

"...right." Ruby started to pick at her plate.

Yang has been gone for a month now; ever since the summer season. Regardless of some exceptions, Ruby had always been close with her sister, but Yang has been distant the past year. Ruby thought that going to Signal academy with Yang would mend that, but Yang pulled further away. Yang not being back in time for the tenth anniversary of their mother's death, to put it mildly, greatly disappointed Ruby.

"I think I'm done. I'll go work on Crescent Rose." Ruby sat up then walked away.

Qrow could see that Ruby didn't finish her meal. He signed and reached over to drink his orange juice just for it to knock over and spill everywhere. Qrow just signed louder; his semblance had bad timing.

Zwei whined at Qrow who reached out and pet the dog. "I know, boy. I know."

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The apartment wasn't very big, but thankfully it had a spare room that could hold a workbench. In there, Ruby was tinkering with her HCSS(High Caliber Sniper Scythe); a weapon that was mastered by both her mother and uncle….because subtlety doesn't run in the family.

Kids at Signal Academy build their weapons during their first year. However, Ruby's weapon was broken during training with Qrow. She was upset that her "sweetheart" died but Qrow assured her that it always happens the first time……..even though it never happened to him so he claimed.

Regardless, Ruby took advantage of this by improving the base design: adding a semi-automatic function to the bolt action rifle, putting a spear tip at the end of the shaft for balance and more striking power, and of course spray painting it red and black.

Ruby was currently recalibrating the scope. She had to get a smaller one because a large scope added to much extra weight; a giant metal scythe was heavy enough. She couldn't fix the recoil so she might just have to improvise when shooting.

"And…...there…..we…..go! Phew! Done!...I feel better." Ruby stood there looking pleased with herself.

She began to shuffle her feet though and grew anxious again. She couldn't take it anymore and took out her scroll to try and call Yang.

"The signal you've dailed is unavailable. Please try your call again later." An automatic voice replied.

"Oh, bite me." Ruby growled. She knew it wasn't a person but she was frustrated. "And now I feel bad again." Ruby sat down at her stool. CCT towers could only do so much. If she couldn't pick up Yang's scroll then who knows where she could be.

_'I get that Yang has stuff she wants to do like find her real mom, but I'm still here. What does she think she's gonna do, replace mom? No, bad Ruby. You can't be selfish and tie Yang down. She won't abandon you……...but I just wish I knew where she was so I could help her! What if she's hurt right now?! No wait! Yang can take care of herself. I mean I haven't even beaten her in a spar yet so what could I do that she couldn't. Run fast…...have long-range attacks……..not wreck an entire club. I mean Qrow lost so much pay just from-wait a minute!' _Ruby sat up from her stool knocking it over.

She said out loud. "Before Yang ran off she went to a club that was ran by……..Jeffrey……..Jordan……...Jonathan……...Junior! No, that can't be right…….no wait it is Junior! He must have told her something that had her run off. I'll just go and ask him nicely where she went!" Ruby grabbed her sniper scythe and ran to her room.

She was struggling to put on her combat outfit. "But what about Uncle Qrow, he took a break so I wouldn't be alone. Then I go and leave? I'm horrible." Ruby slumped.

She stood straight up. "No, Qrow will understand. He misses Yang too. Also, if there's one thing he taught me is that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission." Clearly Qrow is a bad influence on her.

"Bark!" Zwei had strolled in her room

"I know buddy, but I'll be back."

"Wurf!"

"No! I'm not in over my head. A huntress is ready for anything."

"Yip!"

"Oh, what do you know anyway? You're a dog! No offense, boy." Ruby ended her conversation with Zwei.

Ruby was now dressed in her "huntress outfit". Corset and combat skirt included. She was about to walk out the door then she hesitated. Runy turned to see her old red cloak hanging up in her closet. She used to wear it all the time as a kid, but stopped when she went to signal because she was too shy.

_'If I'm going out in public I can't have people recognizing me or freaking out about crescent rose even though she's in her compact form...even if wearing my security blanket is kinda embarrassing.' _Ruby thought.

With that logic, which was probably just an excuse to wear her cloak like an ideal huntress, she put it on before heading out.

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"Kid, we gotta go. If we don't leave now we won't be back until dark, grim love to eat little girls lost in the dark." Qrow called.

"...kid come on. Ruby what's the hold up-" Qrow opened Ruby's door to find her gone.

"Ruby? Ruby! You better be hiding!" Qrow called out.

"Bark!" Zwei ran towards him.

"Not now Zwei."

"BARK!"

"What?!" Qrow questioned.

Zwei was pawing at a piece of paper stuck to Ruby's door.

**"Sorry for leaving, but I have to find the rest of our family. Please don't be mad. It's like you said, I'm going to be a huntress one day so I have to do things like this. Love you, Uncle Qrow.**

** P.S. Don't come after me because someone has to stay and feed Zwei." **The letter read.

"Dammit, kid."

—————————————————————-

After the incident a decade ago, Ruby and Yang moved away from their home in Patch to live with Uncle Qrow. His apartment was in the inner city of Vale so they were far enough away from the bad memories. City life was ok if you could stomach the crowded sidewalks. Then again there have been some dust shop robberies that have been occurring every other week; the police still haven't caught who it is but some say it could be the white fang. Ruby walked down the street towards Junior's Bar and Dance Club.

_'Ok. I'm just gonna find this guy, ask him where Yang is, and get out before dark. I still need to make a stop after this.' _Ruby thought

You would think there would be the stereotypical line behind a red rope with a buff doorman guarding it, but there was no such thing in Ruby's way. I guess that doesn't happen until nighttime? Ruby didn't question it too much.

So Ruby walked right through the door down a short hallway that lead to the dance floor. Immediately, her senses were assaulted with loud dubstep music, flashing neon lights, and tons of people. Her eyes had to adjust when walking into the club to see all the sweating bodies on the dance floor.

_'Well, this is terrifying!' _Ruby pulled her hood up higher. This was a girl who could cut down an entire pack of beowolves with glee on her face. This same girl was scared to death of social interaction with strangers.

_'Ok, girl up. You can do this. The club owner is gonna look like the most important guy in the room…...so who could that be?' _Ruby scanned the room and spotted a bar where a tall man who was dressed in a black vest and pants, red tie, and white dress shirt. He was flanked by either his entourage or his bodyguards and they seemed to be twins; one in a red dress and another in white. He was speaking with an effeminate male who was wearing a red-lined white suit, a bowler hat, and carrying a cane. Although, the cane appeared to be only for flair since he wasn't using it to hold himself up.

Ruby began to cut across the dance floor to come into contact with them. She carefully avoided the gyrated bodies and almost squealed when she felt prying hands.

"Look does the job even matter? I just need more men. The competent ones, preferable. The last batch was more wild than the animals." The bowler hat thug spoke.

"Roman my guys are of the best quality. I wouldn't be able to run a successful business if they weren't loyal and qualified." The man said to Roman Torchwick.

"Um excuse me."

They both turned to Ruby. She stood up straight and asked, "Which one of you is Junior?"

Roman sneered. "Get lost red, the adults are talking."

Ruby seemed put off by the dismissal and the men started to talk among themselves again.

Ruby braced herself. "I SAID…...where is Junior?"

"Look kid do you need something from me?" Junior asked.

"I'm looking for someone-"

"That's obvious little red now off you go. You're being rude." Roman scolded.

"I'm not talking to you, jerk." Ruby replied

Roman looked a little miffed at being back talked by a little girl.

She turned to Junior. "Can you help me find a girl. She's about sixteen, long blonde hair, and a big…...attitude."

Junior looked wide-eyed at that. The twins next to him turned to each other and smirked.

Junior signaled one of his men over with a hand gesture. "Clear the club out. Now." The minion nodded.

"Junior who cares about the kid. I'm here for business and-"

"Roman shut up and sit down. I'll get to you in a minute." Junior said.

Roman scoffed dramatically. "Unbelievable. Fine, I'll sit here because I WANT to not because you asked me. I like a show anyway."

The music stopped and the club began to clear out. Ruby was finding it harder to keep her nerve. However, she steeped herself and pulled down her hood.

"So you know blondie, eh?" Junior started off.

"We're sisters."

"Really?" Junior looked skeptical.

"Y-yes!"

"Adopted?"

"What? No listen! She's been missing for two months now and I wanna find out where she went." Ruby insisted.

"Boring! Get to the bloodshed already!" Roman demanded.

"Is he gonna talk the whole time?" Ruby was starting to get annoyed, which was funny considering she's the intruder.

"Forget him. Look about that sister of yours she and I do NOT get along. She comes in here one day breaking stuff and slugging my men asking about a man in a black coat like that isn't generic enough. I thought it was bad when she wouldn't shut up about that woman-"

"Hold on. Time out. Pause. Did you say a man in a black coat?" Ruby asked wide-eyed.

"Oh my...ugh what's so important about a random guy with some odd fashion sense?!" Junior exasperated.

No one noticed that Roman stopped pretending to fake snore and became invested in the conversation.

"It's uhhhh…….doesn't matter. What did you tell her?" Ruby asked.

"What did I tell her? I told her she could shove it." He snapped his fingers. Two of his henchman grabbed Ruby by her arms.

"The only thing I'm gonna tell you is that I hope that blonde bitch is rotting wherever she is. Get her out of here before I get my bat." Junior commanded.

The henchmen began dragging Ruby out who was struggling within their grasp. This guy knew something and she wasn't going to let him off the hook. Something inside Ruby clicked into place and all of a sudden that scared girl was replaced by a fighter.

Using leverage from being lifted off the ground Ruby kicked both her legs into the face off the henchman on her left to knock him out. The one on her right was so surprised that he dropped Ruby by accident.

She unfolded her weapon, Crescent Rose, and used it to bat him away. He went sailing until he landed behind the bar.

"I'm. Not. Leaving." Declared Ruby.

"...it must be genetics. Boys! Show our buyer here your stuff by dealing with the intruder. I don't care if she's small and cute that scythe says otherwise."

"You think I'm cute?" Ruby inquired with a raised brow. Ruby was sort of flattered but considering the man's age she was mostly creeped out.

"Kinda missing the point aren't you?" Junior replied.

At least two dozen henchmen fanned out of the backroom to surround Ruby. Feeling newfound confidence, she decided to pull a move more suited for her sister.

"DJ!" She pointed dramatically. "Give me fighting music!"

The DJ just shrugged and turned something on.

**"Come at me! At you'll see! I'm more than-"**

"No! No! Something else!" Ruby pleaded.

The DJ looked a little annoyed but changed the song anyway.

**"I couldn't take it-**

"Perfect! Thank you!"

**-(OST) Red like Roses II **

Junior's men ran at Ruby carrying all kinds of weapons such as swords, daggers, bats, one even had a chainsaw. The chainsaw man was the first to go has Ruby shot him down with her sniper rifle.

_'Their aura will protect them so I don't have to hold back.'_ Ruby thought.

The rest tried to surround her only for Ruby to put her scythe head on the ground and use it to swing herself to kick anyone nearby. All in a perfect one-eighty degree circle. She used her semblance to rush forward and strike anyone down. Everybody in her direction was tossed aside to lay in a bed of rose petals.

Ruby gripped her blade around a pole and used it to spin around. Ruby spun faster and faster until she withdrew Crescent Rose and went flying through the crowd. She hit a wall but continued using her semblance to bounce off and into another wall. She was springboarded around the room and plowing away any henchmen in her direction with many side swipes.

When she was back on the ground she tripped a man only to kick him into another one. Someone came behind her but she spun her weapon behind her and slashed him away. Ruby quickly pulled out a cartridge of fire dust and replaced in into her weapon. She shot her gun using the recoil and her semblance to cross the room even faster. This time while shooting away anyone who got to close with a blast of fire.

She threw her scythe in a horizontal toss and cleared a path in the crowd; she ran up to catch iand bring it down on a group of three men who were got under her blade. Then, she used the momentum she fling them away.

"Oh man. Junior this is pathetic. Little red is cleaning out your stock fast….very fast actually." Roman mocked.

"Not again. Dammit, girls get in there!" Junior ordered.

The red twin shrugged her shoulders and started walking, but the white twin glared at Runy before moving along.

"Melanie, who is this girl?" The red one asked.

"I don't know Miltia, but we need to teach her a lesson." Melanie answered.

"Why does that sound rehearsed?" Ruby questioned. She just felt like it was something the pair said quite a lot.

They have no answer as Miltia rushed at her with with arm claws and Melanie followed with blades heels. Ruby blocked Miltia's first strikes but was kicked away by Melanie's heels. Ruby rolled back up and was okay since her aura protected her. She shot at both to separate them, which worked as she sped towards Melanie to trade blows. Melanie twirled then tripped Ruby who rolled out of the way of a downward stab.

Ruby was slashed in the back by Miltia which distracted her enough that she was roundhouse kicked in the face by Melanie and flew across the dancefloor.

"This one isn't as good as the blonde girl." Melanie said.

"Let's get this over with, Melanie." Miltia finished.

Ruby was aware that she has more range, but that doesn't matter when they were so close she couldn't hit them with her large weapon. So she decided to adapt and changed tactics. Ruby replaced the ammo in her gun with a gravity dust cartridge. This time when she used the recoil of the gun to propel herself she went faster even without using her semblance.

The two couldn't keep up as she weaves across the dancefloor until she super-speed kicked Melanie who was sent flying into the back wall. Miltia barely blocked a slash from Ruby who was spinning her scythe constantly to attack. She used the recoil from shots taken at Miltia so her blade could swing faster until she caught Miltia with an upswing. Miltia was in the air but caught herself in a roll back down.

Instead of glaring in anger she just kept the same neutral expression when she said, " I like your combat skirt. Where did you get it?"

"Oh……..um it was just something I made." Ruby responded awkwardly.

"That's cool." Miltia then swung another claw attack at Ruby who was almost got off guard by the brief banter. Melanie joined in to flank Ruby's left. Ruby was spun right to left in order to block all the strikes from the twins who were starting to gain ground again.

"Move it!" Junior shouted as he suddenly shot off a rocket launcher.

Ruby eyes widened as she wasn't prepared like the other girls and barely dodged with her speed. Junior began walking towards her while shifting the rocket launcher into a bat. He swung it at Ruby who blocked it with her scythe but was knocked off balance. The next hit put Ruby on the ground and the scythe out of her hands.

"You should've left when you had the chance!" Junior shouted as he brought the bat down.

Ruby started rolling on the ground out of the way of Junior's repeated blows. She was able to kick his knee which stalled him enough so she could stand only to be flanked again by the twins. They were circling in on Ruby. She was out of options, and with no other choice she starting to run. Using her semblance, she began running in a very tight circle. Rose petals building up as her body was accelerating with the wind. Junior and the rest looked confused until their eyes widened when they realized what she was doing. Ruby was making a tornado.

Faster and faster she ran as the winds became so fierce that they picked up unconscious bodies, weapons, tables, chairs, and other appliances. Everyone else was holding on to some object or each other to stay on the ground. This included the DJ who was hiding under his table. Crescent rose was swept into the vortex then was caught by Ruby who began shooting to use the recoil and go even faster.

A tornado of rose petals and random objects were now in the middle of the dance floor. Junior and the twins were caught in the twister and were screaming for their lives. Roman was fine because he was holding on to the bar, while trying to keep his hat on. Junior and the twins were now holding to each other because the fierce winds forced their bodies together. Ruby saw her chance and leaped from the ground. With a loud yell, she swung at the trio and threw them out of the tornado which sent them through the large window to the front of the club.

Ruby had dropped down dramatically in her signature pose while the maelstrom behind her disappeared…….until she dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

_'Oh man…...I used up a little too much aura there…...OH NO! I didn't beat the information out of him! I sent him flying!' _Ruby thought in panic. She had forgotten about someone else until he starting slow clapping.

"Well that was quite something. You're much more of a fighter than first impressions gave off, Little Red. Thanks for demonstrating how bad a stock Junior's thugs are; guess I'll go find help somewhere else." He turned to walk away. "Good luck with that black cloaked stiff."

"Stiff? Wait! Do you know him? Do you know where Junior sent my sister?" Ruby asked.

"Does it matter?" Roman walked away until he heard the click of Ruby's sniper. He rolled his eyes at her. "Really?"

"You're telling me everything right now." Ruby demanded.

"Interesting proposal, but why don't you hear my counteroffer." Roman pointed his cane at her when suddenly a dust rocket shot out of the end of it.

Ruby dodged out of the way. Luckily for he, the smoke didn't completely obscure Roman as she saw him run out of a backroom so Ruby ran after him.

Quickly cutting through the club's backroom, she was led into an alleyway where Roman was getting into a limousine which, at his order, drove off with a fleet of four other cars behind him. Not missing her chance Ruby used her semblance to catch up with them in a burst of speed and jumped onto the roof of one car. She put her scythe's bottom blade into the roof to hold on. The occupants clearly didn't like that as they starting shooting at her through the car.

To get out of the way of the gunfire, Ruby jumped to the next car in front of her.

She turned back to the last vehicle and held herself in a steady grouch while taking aim with her sniper rifle. She shoot out one of the front tires and the car was sent into the side wall. A man lifted himself through the passenger window to take a swing at Ruby who just dodged the sword. She kicked him and he fell out of the car. The driver took out a pistol and started shooting at her but she was blocking with her weapon. That was a bad move because the driver was so distracted he didn't see the upcoming turn; when he looked back he swerved too hard and crashed into a street lamp.

The momentum tossed Ruby into the air as she was clutching Crescent Rose like it was a parachute. A moment later, she steeled her eyes and used her semblance to run along the side of a building instead of crashing into it. She jumped away, sliced a street lamp, and landed on another car. The large pole crashed in front of another vehicle behind her to completely crash it.

"Hey, Red!" At the call Ruby turned found that Roman was leaning out of the window of his limo and was pointing his cane at her.

He shot at the hood of the car she was standing on.

Ruby couldn't stop it as she was blasted off the car which had flipped upside down from the impact. Ruby was a tough girl though and stood back up. Just a little slower and stumbling more this time; she might have a concussion.

Roman was getting away so Ruby was about to give chase until she heard shouting pleas of help from the burning upturned car. If she went after Roman those people would die. Even with that thought, Ruby didn't hesitate as she cut the doors of the car and dragged the screaming men out to safety.

"Oh my god! I thought I was gonna die." Said one of them.

"Well now maybe you'll learn that crime doesn't pay…….or try not to work for that guy at least. You know what? Just get a real job like those policemen-Uh oh." Ruby said. She noticed that the Vale police have arrived to the scene or the crime. She darkly thought that they usually arrive after the crime has been committed.

—————————————————————-

"Reckless endangerment, destruction of private property, and who knows how many other offenses. I'll simply ask Junior when he wakes up." The Detective said. He was a tall, lanky gentleman with a dark brown trench coat and a gray handlebar mustache.

"I had a good reason, okay! First, they attack a sweet innocent girl, who is me. Then, they start talking about the man in the black coat. Who I told you was real and you never believed me! Now I have proof!" Ruby was frantically gesturing while talking.

"Oh yeah? What proof? All I see is a couple of unconscious thugs and wrecked street vehicles. You are lucky I don't arrest you for attempted manslaughter, and that's only because some of these goons took up for you. Apparently, you saved some from burning to death. However, that doesn't excuse the club owner you assaulted. I could book you on the other charges, but I know that you're just a scared kid who got into a bad situation…..that and I owe your uncle. Who is worried sick by the way." The detective lectured.

"You're not listening to me! The man in the black coat-"

"Is a fiction created by a scared four-year old girl who had suffered a traumatic experience." The detective switched his look from stern to sympathetic. "The truth is hard I get that, but your going to have to accept it one day. Your father's prints were on the murder weapon and he was the only one there besides you. I'm sorry Ruby, but you have to live with that."

Ruby's eyes began to water. "...when I find him…..and you see that my dad has been innocent all along…..you're going to have to accept that." Then Ruby ran off in a burst of rose petals.

"...damn." The detective mumbled.

A police officer walked up to him. "Um, Detective Wallace sir? If you don't mind me asking, what was that about?"

"...back when I was still a patrolman I got a call about a domestic disturbance. I was the first responder at the scene. I found a little girl covered in her mother's blood and a father saying he didn't do it. The girl, either from trauma or the fact that she didn't want to lose another parent, made up some fairy tale about a magical phantom in a black coat who could stop things from moving. She's been angry that I didn't buy it ever since." Detective Wallace explained.

"Are you sure there wasn't any evidence that backed up her story, sir?" The Officer asked.

"Other than the fact no one else including her relatives could fact check her story? No one was sighted around the area within two miles and there are no records of a man with that kind of semblance. Besides, if he was there then why did he only kill Summer Rose and not the two witnesses with her? Her story has way too many holes to be true." Wallace said.

"No offense sir, but it didn't seem like she thought it was a lie." The patrolman said.

"Yeah, and that's the sad part. The poor girl believes it." Detective Wallace lite a cigarette and walked away. He had paperwork to fill out.

—————————————————————-

To save time, Ruby took the airlift to Patch. She walked the long pathway through the woods so she wouldn't have to go near her old home; the wound is still too fresh. She eventually made it up the cliffside where even though it was summer it still felt so cold. She walked to the edge of the cliff where she reached a tombstone.

"Hey mom. It's me, Ruby. I'm sorry I'm late. I got caught up with something. I can't seem to stay out of trouble. I'm also sorry for Yang, and that she's not here. I know she wants to be here but she's trying to find that man. I can't blame her…….he ruined our lives. He took you away and Dad got the blame for it." Ruby was openly crying now.

"I-I-I just miss you so much…….it's like I lost a part of me that I'll never get back. I know you wouldn't want me to seek revenge or any kind of harm to another human being…….but if I ever see him…….I don't know what I'll do." Ruby wiped her tears.

"I'm sorry, this isn't about me. This is your day after all. I'm just a mess I guess………...I was hoping to get Yang back but I don't know where she went. I could go looking for her but I don't even know where to start…….what should I do?" Ruby asked.

"You could start by not leaving just a stupid note."

"AAAAWWW!!" Ruby jumped back startled. She turned around and saw Qrow. "Are you crazy?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"That's my line." He replied.

"How did you even get up here so fast?" She asked.

"Trade secret. I expected this kind of behavior from your sister; she's always been a firecracker but not you. Sure you're curious but you've known when to stop. So tell me: are you after Yang because you want to find her or because you want what she's after?" Qrow asked.

"I don't want to lose anyone else." Ruby answered.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I just needed to hear you say it. When I last spoke with Yang she was in Atlas." Qrow said.

"What! You knew where Yang was?!"

"I said that's when I last saw her. That was about a week ago when I was passing by on my way from Anima. However, that would be the best place to pick up a trail." Qrow began to walk away.

"Wait! What about you?" Ruby asked.

"I'm on vacation, kid. Someone has to watch Zwei, remember? I'll tell Tai that you're alright when visits are open again." Qrow promised.

Ruby watched Qrow walk away as she mulled over the information. She turned to look back at the grave. "Well, I've always wanted see to Atlas I guess. I wonder if you've been mom."

As Qrow was walking away he felt uneasy about the whole situation. 'I sure hope you know what you're doing, Oz.'

———————————————————————

**A/N: **If the older readers are confused I just updated this chapter. All I did was fix some errors and wording. No major change.


	2. Prologue: Weiss Schnee

"_People will always claim to know what is best for you. Whether in a time of triumph or tragedy,others will instead have their own best interests. Being independent or acting selfless is something I was not taught while growing up, but are traits I still had to learn.__"_\- **Weiss Schnee**

——————————————————————-

It was raining today in Atlas; seems appropriate for a funeral. It was always cold in the city, but little twelve-year old heiress Weiss Schnee was never bothered by it at this point. She wore a stoic expression you wouldn't expect to find on a someone her age. Standing next to her was her little brother Whitley and holding an umbrella over them both was their family butler, Klein.

There were many gathered around whether they were stockholders, employees, reporters, or family friends; Weiss did not care. Many of them gave their apologies to her saying "sorry for your lose" or "if there is anything I could do" but none were sincere. That was fitting since Weiss wasn't sincere when she curtised in response and all while keeping her social mask on that she had taught herself to wear. The only people who could tell she was faking would be Klein and her older sister, Winter.

Winter was currently speaking on a dias in front of the crowd. Usually, Weiss would listen to her favorite sibling, but she was stuck in her own head with rapid thoughts. It's not like this is the first family funeral Weiss has participated in. Various cousins and other relatives have been dispatched by the White Fang before, but this one was a lot closer to home. Weiss did not know what to feel so she only felt hollow.

She turned her head to look up at her butler Klein who hand placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He was smiling at her to try and lesson the mood. Weiss appreciated the gesture and drew her attention back towards Winter.

"I know many of you are concerned about the direction of the Schnee Dust Company now that our leadership is gone. I say to not waver. After much consideration, including an agreement with General Ironwood, it has been decided that I shall take my father's place has the head of the company."

This declaration greatly surprised Weiss. She thought her sister joined the Alestian army to make her own path yet she just announced she would follow in their father's footsteps? Weiss's social mask broke with a look of confusion and slight disappointment.

"I promise to uphold the Schnee name with the highest dignity and respect that one in my new position must excude. I swear to reform our labor laws so that all of our employees shall not be discriminated no matter the race. Also, as part of the deal with General Ironwood to allow his lieutenant off the battlefield: the SDC will be the sole proprietor to the Atlesian military forces in the weapons and robotics division." Many in the crowd were gasping.

Personally, Weiss was worried about the changes as well. Weiss wasn't a racist so labor reforms should be a good thing, but this was definitely not a popular move in Atlas especially because of the White Fang's recent actions. Not too mention that ever since Mantle became Atlas it has been considered a military state yet this would appear as further nepotism to the other kingdoms. It was a lot for a twelve year-old to consider, but she would face these problems eventually.

"Are you alright, little snowflake?" Asked Klein who was calling Weiss by his nickname for her. She liked it must better than ice queen or snow princess; those were meant to be insults.

"I'm fine, Klein. Winter knows what she's doing." She put her social mask back on.

"Can you warm up the car? Whitley and I won't be long?" Weiss requested. Her brother was simply looking down at the ground to not meet anyone's gaze as he stayed silent.

"Of course, young miss." Klein switched back to being proper. His eye color changed in response.

Weiss already hated her childhood however it seems like the rest of her life would be just as difficult.

—————————————————————-

-**four years later**

A sixteen year-old Weiss was currently walking through the Schnee manor. She was wearing a white gown with a bejeweled neckline. Her hair was fashioned into a straight ponytail. Weiss was currently walking to the family office at the request of her sister. She arrived at the door and proceeded to knock politely.

"Enter." A voice responded.

With permission, Weiss entered the room. Winter was currently sitting at the wooden desk at the far side of the office. It must be her off-time because she was dressed in her officer's uniform. Usually, it would be a business suit. Yes. Her sister's idea of comfortable is a military outfit.

"Hello, Weiss. I was wondering if you would accept the invitation. How are your studies going? Are you eating properly? Made any new friends?" Winter asked.

"Hello Winter. I am doing well despite the attitude of some tutors so my studies are progressing. I just had a salad for lunch; dressing on the side. I have not made any friends though I had to shoo away another batch of suitors. Is that all?" Weiss answered properly. She was close with her sister while growing up, but she has kept her distance for the past couple of years so it was curious why Winter was reaching out.

"Now Weiss I thought you knew better not to lie to me." Winter adopted a serious expression and stood up to walk to Weiss.

"I've been informed that your singing lessons have consisted of you telling your instructor off instead of actual practice. Your education seem to be proceeding except for the fact that your new history tutor quit…...again...because you decided to give her a lecture instead. Your combat training isn't progressing at all since you remain an absentee." Winter said.

Weiss could only look sheepish at her declaration.

"Also, protein is important in a proper diet, friends at your age can help you grow, and that boy is trying to sue because of a broken wrist." Winter continued.

"I told him not to touch me." Weiss responded. The punk went to caress her cheek, but Weiss slammed the door on his hand. Honestly, the nerve of some people.

"That attitude is the problem. You are acting disrespectful and disobedient to everyone around you, including me. The worst of it is that you are so focused on pushing others away that you have completely lost your drive to train. What happened to wanting to become a huntress?" Winter questioned.

"I've decided it's not for me. Maybe I'll get a job in the company." Weiss said.

Winter looked almost sad at that. "Weiss, that's not what you want. You need to go after the things you desire. For as long as I've known, you've yearned for anything beyond the SDC and Atlas." Winter then smirked. "For example, I've spoken with Headmaster Ozpin and he would be delighted to have you attend Beacon Academy after the next school year."

"B-b-beacon?!" Weiss's mask broke. She was surprised and excited to hear that Professor Ozpin wanted her there personally. However, she composed herself. "That is generous, but you will have to tell Professor Ozpin I'm not interested."

"Not interested? Why is that?" Winter asked.

"It's just not what I'm after."

"What did I just say about lying?" Winter was in front of Weiss now.

Winter then said, "You haven't used your rapier in months and you have not been practicing your glyphs or otherwise you'd be able to summon by now. The world isn't going to wait on you to make a decision. What are you striving for now? How to be a spoiled heiress who can't defend herself? You are wasting so much potential and I'm sick of it."

Weiss didn't look happy at that. "You're one to talk! You joined the military only to go back and fullfill our father's dying wishes. You completely abandoned your ethics just to honor a dead man who never gave a damn about us! Do you even realize that you sound just like him?!" Winter was startled at Weiss's outburst.

"Weiss, I-"

"Yes the company has become better since then both morally and financially. Only after a white fang assassin took off our father's head and it's only successful because you take orders from Ironwood. You want to talk about how I'm not invested? About how I'm not driven? You're just a puppet that does what everyone wants! I don't even know you anymore Winter!" Weiss stormed out of the office.

Instead of looking angry Winter just looked upset as as little sister slammed the door.

**Beep! Beep**!

She couldn't focus on that however as her scroll went off. She answered it. "Hmm, yes? What is it?"

"Miss Schnee uuuuhhh we have a problem." A nervous man on the other line spoke.

"What problem and how big?"

"A really big security problem. It'll be easier to explain in person ma'am."

"...very well." Winter's day was not going to get any easier.

——————————————————————

Weiss decided to take a brisk angry walk outside of the manor. She needed some air if she was going to cool down. She actually walked pretty far and onto the streets of Atlas. Some people would courtise her do to her status and usually she'd response in kind, but she was not in the right mood.

_'I can't believe the nerve of Winter! She accuses me of wasting my potential but she's stuck in an office job!...now that I think about it she does have a point. What am I suppose to do though?! The whole reason I wanted to be a huntress was to make my own name while still proudly bearing the Schnee title. Winter was the one who inspired me though, and if she gave up her dream then is there any hope for me?!' _Weiss was so trapped in her own head that she was not paying attention to where she was going.

_'I always wanted to be the perfect huntress, perfect heiress, the perfect Schnee. At least that's what I thought I wanted……...Whitley is turning into father and Winter only decides to connect when she wants to lecture me. Honestly, it's pretty lonely being a Schnee……….maybe I should take Winter's advice. Starting with finding some-'_

"Look out!" A red blur cried out too late as she crashed in Weiss.

Weiss found herself on the ground with a headache. Someone had the nerve to run into her! Weiss picked herself up to find a red cape on the ground. This was covering up a girl who lifted the cloak to reveal herself.

"Watch where you're going!" She was pointing accusingly at the small girl.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" The girl was up in a flash. "It's just that I haven't been to Atlas before and I got really excited cuse of all the flashing lights and it's a floating island and I thought I smelled sweets and then-"

"Stop!" Weiss held her hand in the stop motion.

"Oh, right sorry I-"

"I didn't ask your backstory or reasoning for behaving like a complete dolt and knocking into people!" Weiss corrected.

"That's my bad-"

"Do you even know where you are? Atlas is a shining example to the other kingdoms and you go running around, causing havoc, and being a general disturbance of the peace." That might be going overboard. However, Weiss thought it was an accurate description.

"Look I said I was sorry-" the girl started.

"I didn't ask for your sorry-"

"Can I get a sentence in?! I wasn't paying attention; that's all. Not a big deal." The red cloaked girl was beginning to get irritated.

"Do you even know who I am?" Weiss asked.

"...the scary girl I bumped into?" She replied.

"Wow. A country bumpkin like yourself decided to visit Atlas?" Weiss inquired snidely.

"A country who? Nevermind. Look, I was just searching for my sister. She's been gone awhile and-"

"Sounds like a touching story. Not interested. You just better just watch yourself." Weiss began to walk away.

The little red cloaked girl looked pretty annoyed. "Well! Sorry to ruin your day, princess!"

Weiss jerked back. "What did you call me?!" She did not like that nickname.

"Princess! Your highness! A royal pain in the butt! You just don't treat people that way because you think you're better than them. I'm a person with feelings, darn it!" The girl proclaimed. This girl seemed so innocent that this is probably the worst she has cussed.

"Feelings? Ok, here are my feelings. I was already having a pretty bad day, then some fool decided to make it worse." Weiss expressed.

"Ah! For crying out loud! I said I was sorry, ok?!"

"...fine. Just watch it next time." Weiss relented.

_'Maybe I am being a little too stern.' _Weiss thought.

"Oh. Well….uh that's good." She was smiling and rubbing her head. "I thought you would stay mad at me about the dress."

"Well you're lucky that I'm so- wait what?!" Weiss looked at her dress in horror. She didn't notice in her tirade that it was covered in dirt from when she fell over.

Weiss began to turn as red as the girl's cape. "You…….you little-"

"Uhhh, I just remembered I gotta be somewhere else see ya, bye!" She ran off in blur of red rose petals.

Weiss stopped herself from screaming; it would not be proper to do so in public. So she decided to run back home and scream in private. Her relaxing walk was over.

——————————————————————

**Schnee Manor**

Weiss did not want to go back to the manor so soon, but she was not going to walk around in filthy clothing. Thankfully, Winter was away on business so they did not run into each other again.

Weiss made it to her large room to change. She was now searching through her closet in a fuzz clearly not being able to pick a new outfit she liked. Then, something in the back caught her eye. She walked into her closet and found her combat outfit hanging up. It was a pale white, knee high dress with a matching combat skirt with red undertones. Weiss hasn't worn it in awhile so she was feeling nostalgic.

After Weiss put it on she looked at herself in the mirror. To complete the look she added earrings and a necklace. She did a small twirl to view herself and was pleased with the look.

_'I forgot that this is stylish and functional_.' Weiss mused while being pleased with herself.

Seeing the outfit brought back old feelings and she thought about what Winter said; she hasn't been practicing. Weiss walked to her bed and took out a case hidden under it. She opened it to reveal Myrtenaster: her Multi-Action Dust Rapier(MADA). Only the finest weapon straight from the SDC for the young heiress. She began to test it's balance. Then, Weiss assumed her fencing pose.

_'Okay Weiss. Head up, shoulders back, and right foot forward ….not that forward_.' Weiss lectured herself. With no one here someone had to.

Weiss began thrusting her rapier out in controlled motions. Her muscle memory kicking in, she was fencing across the room; almost dancing like a ballerina. After only ten minutes of practice she began to feel much better. Old feelings began to resurface and a need returned to her.

_'That was nice……..I should go see Winter. If I don't apologize now then I never will.'_ Weiss strapped myrtenaster to hip and set out to the where she knew Winter would be at.

———————-——————————————

** SDC Production Facaility  
**

Winter was at the new SDC factory only a few miles from the Schnee manor. She was not happy with the news an employee was giving her.

"How could this happen?" Winter demanded.

The scrawny man she was yelling at needed to explain further. "Well uh miss it's actually quite simple. That random white fang attack last month was apparently a diversion. Someone, and I don't know who or how, snuck in and planted the virus while the rest of security was distracted. It's really clever…...I-I mean for a group that's usually been so straightforward in the past." He explained nervously. It seems that despite better work benefits for Faunus the White Fang still continued it's extremist methods.

Winter narrowed her eyes. "So you are claiming that our entire security network is comprised?!"

"No, no ma'am! If that was the case the program would have been noticed immediately and then deleted by our scans. This was a small virus that was meant to corrupt a portion of our network over time. We just now noticed it because several of the security drones have been rendered 'unavailable'." He air-quoted.

"Unavailable?" Winter questioned.

"That's the thing…….we can't connect to them. So there is a chance that someone, whoever made this virus, has created a separate network for the drones to operate on. Also, that's not the biggest problem." He admitted.

"What could be any worse than hearing about at least a third of our operative robots being hijacked?" Winter questioned further.

"...the Arma Gigas is one of them."

Winter's eyes widened. "That weapon is dangerous and not even available for the public eye. Stop this virus dead and dismantle those robots including the Arma Gigas now!"

A red alert began to go off in the security room they were in. Red lights blared and a loud alarm rang throughout the compound.

"Status report immediately!" Winter commanded.

The security employee began to check his monitors for updates. "We're too late. The sentries and the Arma Gigas have been activated by a remote source. Worse is that they are headed straight for the city."

Winter knew what needed to be done. "Assemble our private strike forces and then give me a line to General Ironwood. With the Atlesian military we can quell this attack." Winter marches out of the room ready to take action.

_'Weiss, you better be safe out there.' _Winter thought.

——————————————————————

Weiss was currently on a bullhead headed to the SDC factory. She wasn't the only one has there were many workers who had to get there for their shifts. Faunas workers were no longer required to sit in the back, but they still did for their own sakes. Just because a rule changes doesn't mean social norms do. Weiss was sitting down in a window seat; contemplating on what she was going to say. Then, the bullhead suddenly jerked and she along with the other passengers were thrown from their seats.

The passengers were naturally worried about the disturbance. Weiss looked outside the window to see that they were being shot at from the ground by sentry drones carrying rifles. Regular dust rounds wouldn't scratch the bullhead's armor but one of the turbines was taken out with a lucky shot.

"Everyone! Buckle up and brace for impact." The pilot called.

Weiss and the others did as they were told and held on to saftey rails. The bullhead made an emergency landing on the streets below. The impact was jostling, but there was no lasting damage. Weiss immediately got out of her sit to check outside.

"Miss, get back in your sit it's too dangerous out there." The pilot said to Weiss.

"I can handle this. You keep everyone here safely out of the way." Weiss responded.

Weiss jumped out of the downed bullhead to the streets and found many SDC drones firing at anything in sight. One woman was almost gunned down, but Weiss reacted quickly. She drew her weapon and summoned a white glyph below her feet to dash herself forward and pierce the robot in an instant.

The woman shakingly stood up. "Get out of here now. Get to somewhere that's protected." Weiss said to the woman. She took the heiress's advice and ran off.

At least a dozen drones turned their guns on her to begin firing. Weiss used her glyphs to move herself out of bullets. She propelled herself closer then shoved her rapier threw the head of one drone. A quick draw back and she was stabbing another with repeated, precise hits. Weiss seemingly skated forward to slash the rifles out of their hands and sent them flying with her glyphs.

Weiss cycled the dust in her rapiered to ice dust and stabbed in into the ground where a wave of ice collided with the remaining robots. She couldn't catch her breath though as more drones arrived; there were over two dozen this time. Weiss simply narrowed her eyes, steadied her breathing, and cycled to lighting dust. She pointed Myrtenaster at the closet one and fired off a lighting bolt that caused it to short-circuit. That got the others attention as they fired off more rounds at her.

Weiss switched to gravity dust and summoned a large black glyph front of her to catch the enemy rounds. She released the glyph when she darted forward again to slash at them. Much like when Weiss felt her stress ease away during practice, she could feel herself became apart of the moment in the battle. Her mind was clear and her steps were graceful. Weiss's fighting style reflected her serene sense of mind into a deadly dance that cut down one opponent after the other.

When the last robot was disabled, Weiss dropped her stance and took another breath. Her stamina always needed work, but the lack of practice is taking its toll on her body. In the calm moment, Weiss felt her scroll ringing and saw that the ID was Winter. She decided that the situation took priority over any awkward feelings and answered it. "Winter, what's going on? There are SDC sentries going crazy and attacking everyone?"

"I'm afraid I don't have time to explain, Weiss. I've contacted Ironwood and he's sending help so there's nothing to worry about. However, you need to get back to Schnee Manor posthaste."

"I can help though! I already cleared some out-"

"Weiss, the Arma Gigas is loose! I don't want you fighting that thing. Just let me handle it and get back home where it is safe." Winter ended the call.

Weiss was very tempted to listen to Winter, however, it didn't count as disobeying if she ran into some drones along the way back to the manor. Weiss ran down the street to help where she could to vanquish any stray sentry. She arrived at a city square where a large statue of her grandfather stood; a recent renovation pushed by Winter. She noticed a very large bullhead come flying overhead and thought it was reinforcements. However, that was not the case as it hovered overhead to drop more drones.

That wasn't all as a large metal mass had been detached from the bottom of the aircraft and landed in the square. It was a giant robot that was shaped like a knight complete with its own broadsword. The Arma Gigas; call if a gut-feeling, but Weiss knew she would have to overcome it someday. Weiss posed with her rapier and charged forward; cutting apart several drones as she ran to attack the knight. Weiss underestimated the knight's speed and barely dodged the sword strike aimed to counter her. The blow knocked her off her feet as she landed on the ground. The Arma Gigas raised it's sword to finish the heiress off while she was vulnerable. In a brief moment of fright, Weiss closed her eyes and prepared for the blow.

"Look out, again!" Said an annoying voice as a red figure picked Weiss up and carried her away from the attack in a blur of motion.

Recognizing the voice, Weiss opened her her eyes to see the girl she that ran into her earlier today. "You?! What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing the princess, duh." She answered with an innocent smirk.

Weiss fumed as she yelled, "No, why are you here?! This is dangerous and you shouldn't be out here or you could-would you put me down!" She demanded with a blush since the girl was holding Weiss princess style.

She put Weiss back down and answered her. "There's a robot invasion and you want me to miss out on it? No way! My sweetheart wants to play!" The girl said excitedly.

"Sweetheart?"

Weiss was surprised when the girl pulled a large red scythe from her back. "The small ones are worth one point each and the big guy is fifty. Ready, set, go!" She dashed off in a flurry of rose petals and began hacking at the robots.

"Th-this is serious!" Weiss exclaimed. "Also, just so you know I've taken down 28 so far!" Clearly Weiss wasn't above it all.

"I'm at 33! Keep up slowpoke." The girl quipped while slashing one in half.

Weiss huffed but dashed forward to attack the others. Between her and the strange girl they cleared a path in record time. That allowed Weiss to target the knight again; she switched to lighting dust then fired while the girl was shooting it with her rifle. The lightning simply discharged off as it shrugged off the rifle shots. The knight then swung it's sword, but the girls used their speed to evade it. Weiss switched over to ice dust to freeze its feet; that worked for a second before it broke out of the ice.

"It's protected against elemental dust!" Weiss warned.

"So go for its legs and joints then let's work our way up." The girl rushed forward only to be kicked away by the Gigas.

She was slammed against the statue in the center if the square. The knight walked forward then reared its sword back to swipe at the downed girl but with a quick roll from her it had missed. However, the blow stuck against the statue. The stone broke from the mighty blow and fell in pieces on the ground. A large smokescreen was kicked up from the debris.

Weiss was coughing from the dust until it cleared away to reveal that girl was pinned by her leg under a large slab of stone. The knight towered over her and was preparing another blow. In an instant, Weiss was over there standing in front of the defenseless girl to block the Arma Gigas's strike with a large white glyph that pushed the sword away. The girl she protected was staring at her in surprise. Weiss turned to her.

"You're quite a pain you know that, and stubborn, and annoying. You were also very brave helping me back there." Weiss turned back to her opponent.

"Just stay back and let me handle this."

-**(OST) Mirror** **Mirror**

Weiss used a glyph to rush ahead and strike at his knee. This time Weiss was ready for the blade counter as she sidestepped a downward thrust and swiped the back knee. It flinched from the blow; not in pain obviously but because it's joint was damaged. The Arma Gigas sent a kick at Weiss only for her to dodge back.

Weiss switched to fire dust and bathed the area in flame so she was now out of sight. It swiped the flames away only to reveal Weiss was not there anymore. It looked up she descended with a downward thrust at its neck. She scratched under the armor there and backflipped off the body.

The knight regained it's balance and sent another sword slash only for Weiss to counter with a black glyph. She struck the sword with a forward thrust and released her glyph so that the large weapon would slam back into its owner. While it was dazed, Weiss went for the knees again to deliver multiple hits. However, the knight reacted by picking up Weiss then began squeezing her. She was gasping with pain and loss of breath.

The Gigas's grip slackened when it was distracted by a sniper shot sent by the still pinned girl who had access to her sniper scythe. This gave Weiss the chance to slash at the wrist to slip out of it's hand. She struck the legs again and that forced the Arma Gigas down on one knee. She jumped on it's back to stab it through the neck when an elbow bashed her off. Weiss tumbled to the ground and was slow to get back up.

Weiss was so slow to stand that the knight nailed her with a direct sword slash that sent the heiress flying into a wall. She collapsed on the ground and wasn't moving. Everything was blurry to Weiss as her body was hurt. All she could see was the large armored enemny and the blood in her left eye.

'_If it wasn't for my aura I'd be dead…….I can't take another blow like that.'_ She thought.

Weiss's eyes began to close. Different thoughts and memories began flashing through her mind.

"_My sincere condolences Miss Schnee. It must be hard losing a father."_

_"Weiss, I'm busy. Go see Winter if you want 'sibling bonding'."_

Weiss's world began to darken and fade away as the only thing she could her was the rampant disappointment throughout her life.

"_With that attitude you will never get far. Let alone leave up to your family name."_

_"A Schnee must learn how to summon. It is in our blood and you are a Schnee. Concentrate Weiss."_

_"Such a disappointment."_

_"Damn Schnee!"_

"_The girl lost her mother and now her father, but she doesn't show the least bit of grief. That's a Schnee for you."_

_"Have you made any new friends, Weiss?"_

_"I thought becoming a huntress was your dream?"_

_"I'm a person with feelings, darn it!"_

Weiss was fading fast, then she remembered something.

"_It_ _doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It doesn't matter what father thinks. You are Weiss Schnee. You can carry that name with pride and live a life of fulfillment; the life you choose. You have the passion and the potential to be the best of us. Remember that little sister."_

'_Winter_.' Weiss remembered.

"_Get up."_

'_Huh_.'

"Get up!" The red clad girl yelled.

Weiss opened her eyes to see the girl shouting for her to get up. Not wanting to disappoint the faith she was showing, Weiss stood tall. Her hair fell out of its ponytail and she has a bloody cut along her left eye. She simply wiped the blood from her sight and resumed her stance.

_'Right foot forward. Perfect._' Weiss thought.

Weiss dashed forward and dodged the armor's swing by jumping onto the blade to run along it. She swiped the neck before jumping to the ground. Then, she switched back to lightning dust and created a time dilation glyph beneath the knight. It slowed the armor down, but made her faster as long as she stayed in close range. She repeatedly slashed at the knees with rapid strikes until it was on one knee again.

Weiss bounced off a mid-air white glyph to attack the knight. After the first strike, Weiss leapt from another glyph and repeated the action. Again. Again. She kept creating more glyphs to launch from then attack in different directions.

Weiss jumped into the air from the Gigas's head to gain momentum for the finishing blow. Her blade glowed red as she launched down with so much power that in a large flash the armor completely shattered into pieces. Of course, Weiss stuck the landing.

"That was awesome!...but uh…...this is literally killing me! Help me!" Called the other girl.

_'I should have listened to Winter_.' Weiss thought begrudgingly. That thought carried a lot of different meanings. That being said, now Weiss could only think about how tired she was while trying to help the other girl up.

——————————————————————

**Atlesian Memorial Hospital**

Hours later, the SDC and the Atlesian forces had officially stopped the terrorist attack. The hospitals were currently filled with wounded, but thankfully there were few fatalities. Speaking of wounded, Weiss was with the girl that assisted her. The girl was nursing a leg injury in a cast. Weiss's hair was still down and she had a gauze on her face to cover the wound close to her left eye. Thankfully, the eye itself was fine but might leave a scar.

"The doctor said that the bone didn't break. So combining the healing from your aura with our advanced Atlas approved hospital services should mean you'll be out of here in a week." Weiss said almost proudly.

"That's great! I feel so happy just hearing that! I can't even feel the pain!" She said.

"Yes...that would be the morphine you were dosed with." Weiss lamented.

"Morphine? Never had it. Does it taste good? Actaully what do they have to eat here? Ooohhh, wait do they have cookies?! Please tell me they have chocolate chip!" She was very high right now.

"No." Weiss simply answered.

"Hahahahaha! That's a funny word: chocolate……...chhhocccolate……...choclaaaaatttttteee……….chocoooooooolate-

"Stop that." Weiss reprimanded dryly.

"...chocolate."

Weiss just groaned. _'It's not her fault. It's not her fault.' _

Weiss asked. "I don't know if you'll give me an answer in your…...condition. However, since we've been through quite a lot recently I'm curious. What is your name?"

"My name……...Ruby Rose at your service ma'am." Ruby saluted.

"Ruby Rose. I am the heiress of the SDC, Weiss Schnee." She announces proudly.

"The who and what now? That's silly! I'll just call you Weissy." Ruby said.

"I'll just assume that's the drugs talking." Weiss looked irritated again. Then she adopted another curious expression.

"Another question. You said who were visiting Atlas to look for your sister?"

"Oh yeah! I got so caught up in you screaming at me and the evil robot invasion that I forgot! You wouldn't think we're sisters but we are! Her name's Yang Xiao Long, she's taller than me with long blonde hair, liacc eyes, and these huge-" Ruby gestured to her chest. Weiss resumed her aggravated expression.

"Oh don't be jealous! Yang told me that those aren't everything! I mean look at you. You're so pretty in a fairy tale princess kind of way, but that attitude I mean bbbrrrggghhhh." Ruby shivered.

"Do you want my help or not?!" Weiss demanded.

"Your what?"

"As much as I hate to admit it you saved me back there. As a Schnee, I must repay the debt. Also, as the Schnee heiress I have many resources to found your lost sister. So are you going to accept it or not?" Weiss asked with her arms crossed.

"Oooohhhh thank you, thank you!! I'd hug you if I wasn't trapped in bed by for my 'own good' by that grouchy doctor! I was wrong! You are so nice!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Glad to hear it. As much as I love this drug-induced rant you're pulling I have an appointment somewhere. I'll contact you with news once you are...sober." Weiss walked out the door.

"Bye, besty!" Ruby waved.

——————————————————————

**Schnee Manor**

Weiss was once again at the door of Winter's office. She now had her hair in a slainted ponytail and pinned with an icicle-shaped tiara. She walked through the door.

"Weiss, it's good to see you are well." Winter said. "Also, while I should be furious that you did not listen to me when I told you to leave……..I'm also very proud of you." She walked up to Weiss.

Weiss was trying to cover up her wound. Winter shook her head. "Don't. When someone is injured after winning a fight, it is a symbol of pride. Wear it like so."

"Yes, Winter." Weiss responded meekly.

"I called you here, again, to apologize for my outburst. It was unfair to treat you that way." Winter said with a sincere expression.

"What? No! I mean thank you, but I was the one who was in the wrong. Regardless of politics, I shouldn't have lashed out at you. Also, it wasn't right for me to just assume your reasons for becoming CEO without even asking you. I've instead distanced myself from…...everything. Including you. I need to try harder. I have to be better." Weiss confessed.

Winter was taken aback but then assumed her pose where her hands are behind her back. "Well, does this mean you will perform well in you're studies from now on?"

"Definitely." Weiss stated

"Eat healthy?" Winter asked.

"More green beans in my salad I guess." Weiss said

"Make some friends?"

"...I'll try."

"...and becoming a huntress?" Winter asked.

Weiss had a look of determination on her face. "When next you meet with Headmaster Ozpin, tell him I look forward to attending Beacon Academy in Vale next year."


	3. Prologue: Blake Belladonna

_"They say that change can not be made in a single day. It is something that takes a lifetime. For the people that have to cause it, they are the ones who suffer. However, when something changes instantly the results cause suffering for everyone.- Blake Belladonna_

There was a riot going on in Mantle, the capital of Atlas. That is what the authorities turned it into anyway. There was a White Fang protest that condemned the faunas slave labor in the new refineries. SDC securitiy responded by sending in drones and riot troopers to contain the situation.

The large group of protesters were currently chanting with signs and boards shouting things like "Equality" and "We are not animals". They were yelling these and other phrases like a mantra. Among the crowd was a little cat faunas girl with dirty clothes and a pick-it sign too large for her to properly hold up. This eight-year old girl was Black Belladonna; her parents were in the White Fang and her father, Ghira, was protesting with the crowd. She was supposed to stay with her mother, but the little miss wanted to help out where she can.

It seems unusual for a child to be so determined about a civil rights movement, but little Blake has always been a practitioner of equal rights. She was holding the large sign up and shouting at the troopers who currently had riot shields up to keep the everyone at bay.

"We are not animals! We are not animals!" Blake exclaimed.

An officer with a megaphone stepped forth and spoke out in a commanding voice. "Disperse! Disperse or you will be removed from the premise! This is your last warning!"

None of the protesters stopped or moved away.

"Gas them!!!" He commanded. Suddenly smoke grenades were thrown into the crowd. Many faunas began coughing and ran off through the thick smoke. The riot shield line broke open a gap in their ranks and SDC drones were led into the crowd to restrain the offenders. One particularly cougar faunas smashed a sign into a drone only for it to shrug off the blow. It then slammed the butt of his rifle into the man's skull which knocked him on the ground where he was left bleeding.

Blake tried to stand her ground and see if she could find her father in the crowd. However, her bravery wavered whenever the troopers connected firehoses to the nearest hydrants to blast the remaining faunas with water. An avian faunas was sent flying by the torrent of water and landed in a heap across the ground. Blake was quickly regretting her decision to come and fled to find her father.

"Dad! *cough*cough* Daddy!" Blake was running through the smoke trying not to cough her lungs out. Her eyes were beginning to burn from the smoke and all her enhanced senses could only hear screaming and fighting going on around her. She almost screamed when a hand grabbed her, but she held it in when she realized it was only another little girl.

"Come on! We can lose them through the alley!" The tan girl with brown hair led young Blake through the smoke and into the alley.

"W-wait! Stop! I gotta find my dad!" Blake tried to turn back but the other girl kept pulling her.

"We need to leave! The grown ups will be fine but we can't defend ourselves." That was suprising wisdom coming from the lizard faunas.

"B-but- I can't just leave yet. I have to-" she was stopped when a SDC guard caught up to them and grabbed Blake by her arm.

"Come here you runt!" He pulled up Blake's arm to hoist her in the air. This caused her to cry out in pain.

"Leave her alone!" The lizard girl ran up to assist only to get backhanded by the man. He put his finger on his comms.

"I got two little runts ready for lockup. Send in more officers." He turned his communicator off. " Alright rugrats! You're gonna make nice little pets so don't struggle-AAWWW!" He cried out in pain when a large bottle was cracked against his helmet. He was so disoriented that he dropped Blake and wasn't prepared when the same attacker struck him with a brick to the face

"Ilia! You alright?" A red-headed 13-year old bull faunas with a black bandana over his face helped the lizard girl up. When stood up she wiped the blood from her lip. "Im fine, but she's pretty out of it Adam. We gotta help her."

"Ok then." Adam turned to Blake and gestured with his hand. "Can you walk? We gotta leave." Blake simply looked at the stranger's hand.

"Its time to go." He continued.

This snapped Blake back to reality. "Okay." She took his hand.

From that day forward Ilia, Adam, and Blake were an inseparable trio in the White Fang.

**-8 years later-**

We turn our attention to the island of Menagerie, a place where faunas live out their lives in peace. Some faunas were currently sitting on a rooftop to watch the stars and discuss the trails of the day. A now 16-year old Blake Belladonna was wearing a black buttoned vest with a white undershirt and white shorts with black heeled boots.

Her friend Ilia, who wore a simple black jumpsuit, turned to her. "You know Blake...I have a question for you and feel free not to answer if you are too uncomfortable."

Blake could see Ilia's serious expression so she reassured her friend in her usual monotone voice. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Did you change your eyeliner?" Ilia asked.

"...are you serious?" Blake questioned. She was a little ticked off at her friend's poker face.

Ilia held back a laugh. "I'm serious. You don't usually change anything or act different unless there's something new in your head. For example, you started to wear that gold eye liner because Adam said he liked it. Now you're back to violet."

"I think you are overthinking this greatly. Why are you staring at my eyes anyway?" Blake questioned.

"N-no reason." Ilia flushed but calmed down to continue the conversation. "My point is we've known each other awhile and I can tell when something's bothering you. Like how your ears twitch when you get agitated."

Blake's black bow twitched on her head to prove her friend's point. "Fine. It's just that...has Adam been acting different lately?"

"I mean he's making a lot of noise in the ranks, but he's always been ambitious." Ilia answered.

"Yeah...but he's been more...demanding lately." Blake said.

"Demanding?"

"Well it's just that I think he's gotten a little too aggressive. Ever since he assasinated Jacque Schnee he's developed quite a following. That has begun to make him act up and disobey Sienna Khan's orders. His new fan club is making it worse by going along with his risky plans that only amount to harming innocent bystanders. That does nothing but make us look bad." Blake lectured.

"No offense Blake but things have gotten better the past four years because of what Adam did. People are starting to respect and listen to us; hear our side of things for once. The SDC is forced to acknowledge us even if those basterds are just scared; its working for us regardless. I thought you of all people would be behind Adam." Ilia questioned.

"Well, I'm not." Blake looked away from her.

"...this is the part where you try and argue morality viewpoints with me. Why is it when I bring up Adam you get all quite." Ilia asked.

"He's different and honestly...it's scares me. You and him have always been hard on humanity, but even you have to admit that what he's been advocating seems to only be out of spite." Blake said.

Ilia adopted a contemplative look. "I stand behind what Adam is doing because it's not for him it's for everyone. We are his friends and should support him. With all that being said, if you feel like there's something wrong with him then you should help. In the end, you're probably the only person he'll listen to."

"Maybe you're right. I should talk with him tommorow." Blake said that but did not look excited at the concept.

"It'll be fine. Hey, enough with the philosophy talk. Are your parents home today?" lIia asked trying to change the topic.

"No. They're off to Vacuo on some trip. Why?"

"Wanna have a sleepover?" Ilia cheekily asked.

"That sounds horrible." Blake responded dryly.

"Come on! We can stay up late and watch horror movies!"

"Or you can watch horror movies while I read my book before bed."

"Ok, now you are just teasing me."

Blake smirked. "Fine. You can't eat all my house's popcorn though."

———————————————————————

**-the next day**

Taking her friend's advice, Blake decided to meet with Adam. She knew he would be at the local White Fang hideout barking orders to anyone who would listen. Usually, her father would be there but both her parents have taken a step back from leadership. She didn't really see them around that often now.

Blake use to admire Adam thinking that he was a symbol of justice for the faunas. Admittedly, those feelings turned into more than just admiration later on. While not officially a couple, Adam was very affectionate towards her; calling her pet names like "darling". She is reluctant to admit that when Adam assassinated the head of the SDC she was supportive of him through the endeavor. However, the fame had turned him even more brutal; his violent tactics were now being practiced more so than ever.

It wasn't until about a year ago that she was openly opposed against Adam's methods; he didn't take it well. After her intial refusal, Adam became way more possessive towards Blake. He was acting jealous even when she was only with Ilia. Blake has been mulling over the thought of leaving the White Fang and Adam behind, but she decided to try one more time before she made her decision.

Blake opened the door to the warehouse to find Adam talking to a group of at least a dozen faunas. He quickly stopped speaking and turned to face Blake. He wore the Grimm mask that he popularized among the White Fang along with a dark trench coat. His face openly turned from a sneer to an affectionate smile that he would only share with Blake.

"Blake! I didnt expect you to show up here." He turned to his followers. "You have your orders, wait for the call." They nodded and walked away clearly reading the room. Blake ignored Adam's curious line of dialogue for now to focus on what she came here for.

"Adam, can we talk? I feel like I need to clear the air about something." Blake asked.

Adam's smile dropped. "Okay then. I assume you want this to be private." He started walking towards a private room in the back of the warehouse as Blake followed.

He closed the door behind them. "Is it something serious? Have you heard anything?"

"Relax, I just wanted to talk. No raiding missions or dust heists, alright." Blake said.

"Oh. Well darling as much as I like to chat I'm kind of busy here." Adam responded.

"This is important." Blake said.

"I see."

"...before you start just hear my out. What you've been doing lately. All of the killings, the grand speeches, the top secret meetings. I get that you are only doing what you think is right but..." Blake stopped to gauge his reaction.

Adam was simply standing there waiting for Blake to finish.

"...you've been different Adam. You only killed humans to protect faunas, but now you seem to enjoy it. Not too mention you have a disregard for Sienna Khan's orders. All of these followers you have all are whispering in your ear with notions of some kind of faunas empire but that's not the Adam I grew up with. I-I want to help you...I want you to tell me wants wrong." Blake confessed to him.

"...where were you last night Blake?" Adam questioned.

"W-what?"

"Where were you last night?" Adam reiterated. His off the wall question confused her.

"What does it matter I-"

"Answer me." He demanded.

To move the conversion Blake decided to answer. "I was at my house last night. Why does it matter?"

"I know that but you're not telling me everything." Adam said.

"Hold on. What do you mean you already knew that?" Blake asked confusingly.

"Blake, why are you lying to me?"

"Stop playing games Adam I'm not lying. You're avoiding my questions!" She was getting very frustrated.

"You were with Ilia last night. Did she tell you to say all of that?" Adam asked. He began to step forward.

"What the hell?! You had me followed!" Blake asked angrily.

"You keep being dishonest with me so I had no choice. If anyone has been acting different Blake it's been you." Adam stared. He was now in front of her.

"You do this every time! I try to make peace with you and you just end up blaming other people, including me, for the problem when it's really about you! I'm on your side so why won't you let me in!"

Blake was yelling. It's very out of character for the cat girl to get this aggressive, but this was not the first time Adam had acted out and she was sick of it.

"Why won't you let me in?!!" He yelled back. This caused Blake to step away from Adam. He walked forward and that caused Blake to step further away from him.

"You say you are trying to help me?! Well I'm trying to help everyone! The humans keep abusing our kind and enslaving our people while they pretend otherwise. You know that they did to me Blake! Yet you say that I'm out of line when they drew first blood? Well you're wrong! I'm what the faunas need because the only thing those monsters understand is violence!" Adam yelled.

Blake was now backed up against a wall. Her hands were shaking slightly from her shocked nerves. Adam noticed this and took her hand which caused her to shut her eyes. She opened them back up when she realized he was carressing her hand softly in his hands.

"...I'm sorry. It's just the stress talking; all the organizing and planning has me riled up. With all the damage reports that have come in it's been hell, y'know? I didn't mean to yell, but you should've been honest with me. Blake, I need you to have faith in me, okay?" He put one hand up and caressed her hair. " With time you'll see that everything will work out, my love." He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head to where it only landed on her cheek. If Adam was offended he didn't voice it.

He backed away from her. "I still have a lot of work left to do, but I expect you to be back my tonight. I'll tell you everything there."

"Okay." Blake answered meekly. She just wanted to get out of there.

———————————————————————

Blake held back her tears; she refused to cry over that basterd. Instead, she tried to distract herself with a book. The key word being try since she could not get her mind off of whatever Adam wanted from her tonight. Blake knew that if she did not show up that she would pay for it later.

'What should I do? Everyone I know is telling me to stay but with the White Fang becoming more toxic and corrupting Adam, or maybe vice versa, my instincts are telling me to run. Even if I decided to leave where would I go? My family and everything I've ever known are here. All of my ties lead me back to the White Fang no matter where I go...I guess no one can just run from their past.' Blake contemplated.

"Hey uh sir? Have you seen-uh that's fine just walk away. Miss have seen my sister? She's about-yeah okay that's cool I wasn't just talking to you anyway so just keep ignoring me. Oh darn. Hhhhhmmmm she looks busy. I probably shouldn't but I'm desperate."

Blake was distracted by the cries of a young girl who proceeded to walk over nervously to Blake.

'Oh no. Tourists.' Blake thought. The girl in the red cloak clearly wasn't a faunas at least at first glance. So she must be a visitor.

'Maybe if I just ignore her she'll go away.' She thought

"Um, excuse me?" The red girl asked.

'I guess not.' Blake looked up from her book at the shy girl. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, sorry to bother your reading, but I'm new here so I'm a bit lost and uh it's weird being the only human in the place-no wait! Not that there is anything wrong with being a faunas. I mean I don't know a lot, but I was raised to treat everyone equally umm unless they are bad guys of course I mean...are you listening?" The girl asked.

"Hhhhmmmm." Blake grunted while looking at her book. The fact that her faunas traits were covered up meant that the girl wasn't kissing up to her so meeting an open-minded human was a nice change of pace. That being said, she was not in the mood for strangers today.

"Uuuhhh let me start over. I'm looking for my sister cuse she's been missing for awhile, I got some information from a friend-uh sorta friend that she stopped by here. Have you seen-"

"You must have the wrong place. You do know that Menagerie has a sole population of faunas, right? So unless you and your sister are actaully faunas it wouldn't make sense to come here. If you are human then the White Fang won't appreciate you being here." Blake enlightened.

"Oh well that uh...mmmm." She looked a little taken a back by that statement. Blake tried to turn her attention back to her book.

She couldn't because the girl asked another question. " What book are you reading?"

'Is this girl trying to appeal to me now?' Blake decided to answer. "It's about a man with two souls, each trying to fight over the man's body."

"I love books. My sister, the one who I'm looking for, used to read me stories about knights saving princesses and hunters fighting grim. It's what inspired me to go to Signal Academy and become a huntress like those in the stories." The girl said.

"That's very ambitious for a child, but the world doesn't work like one from a fairy tale." Blake countered.

"Well that's why I wanna make it better. When I become a huntress maybe someday I can help people too." She said.

"Wow, honestly I'm quite envious of you." Blake stated.

"Huh, what do you mean?" She asked.

"That's a little personal to tell to a perfect stranger don't you think?"

"Oh, in that case." The girl raised her hand at Blake. "My name is Ruby Rose."

Against her better judgement Blake took the girl's hand for a shake. "Blake."

"See? Now we're not strangers." Ruby smiled.

'This girl sure is different.' Blake thought. 'But that is not a bad thing.'

Blake continued. "Well I'm envious of you Ruby Rose. I'm envious because you seem to know what you want and want to do. Me? I'm filled with indecision. I've been wanting to leave this place for awhile now, but all of my friends and everything I've known and fought for are here. It would be cowardly to just abandon everything. Yet, with everything that's changed I honestly can't say this feels like my home anymore."

Ruby took an exaggerated thinking pose. "Hmm, I see. Yep, that's a tough decision alright."

"Yeah, I know." Blake replied dryly. 'I was kinda backing on the wise stranger cliche from my books, but I guess that's just fiction.' She thought.

"Sorry if I'm not that worldly. I just recently started traveling and I only did it cuse my only sister has been missing about a month now. I was in Atlas for the first time like a week ago. So I'm still getting use to this. Honestly, if I didn't have to question people I wouldn't have had the guts to talk to you. Uh-not that you're scary or anything!" Ruby began waving her hands animatedly.

Blake simply ignored the last comment. "You still left home and that takes courage. What made you decide to go?"

"I mean...to make a long story short I just thought it was the right thing to do so I did it. Personal interest aside, it's that simply really." Ruby said.

"But it's not!" Blake exclaimed finally showing some emotion. She quickly steeled her expression. "If everyone you know is against you then maybe you're not in the right. Shouldn't I consider that?"

"Between you and me: it sucks when everyone thinks they know better than you. For as long as I can remember people have disagreed with me and looked down me because they thought I was crazy or a liar. When the whole world is against you it hurts not to have anyone there by your side...I guess that's why I'm after my sister because she stood with me along with my uncle."

"...the people who use to stand by me have turned their views against mine. So I guess I have no one." Blake lamented.

"Nope."

Blake looked up and the smiling girl. "What?"

"Nope." Ruby repeated popping the "p" sound more.

"I-what do u mean?" Blake asked.

"You're not only cuse now you've got me as a friend." Ruby smiled.

"But we only recently met and have been talking for maybe five minutes. You can't honestly say that I'm your friend."

"Ssssoooooo do you not wanna be friends?"

Blake was shocked at Ruby's question. She quickly thought over her response before answering."I guess I do." Blake smirked.

——————————————————————-

Blake had been talking to Ruby for about an hour before she finally had to leave.

'I really hope she finds what she's looking for. Ruby is too nice of a girl to be separated from her loved ones. She was also very helpful when it came to my problem. I'll meet up with Adam tonight before I make my final decision.'

Blake headed back to the warehouse where Adam has said they would meet. Why he wanted to run these important meetings in moldy abandoned warehouses she will never know. She made it to the entrance and opened it up to reveal a large group of faunas were here along with Ilia and Adam who were talking amongst themselves.

As Blake headed in she noticed something off: the faunas were all wearing some new horned black masks instead of the usual white Grimm ones.

'Well that's new. Does this have to do with Adam?' Blake thought.

She walked to Adam and Ilia just as they were ending there conversation. "So we are in agreement then?" Adam asked.

"Yes, it is for the best in the end." Ilia agreed.

"What agreement?" Blake interjected.

"Darling, you're back. It's good that you decided to come. For a minute I thought that after earlier...well." Adam stated almost awkwardly.

"It's fine. I'm suprised you and Ilia aren't fighting again." Blake said.

"Why would we do that?" Ilia questioned.

"Adam didn't tell you about his outburst earlier then?"

"No I did. I apologized and Ilia understood why I felt the way I did. It's important that we all stand together as a united voice; now more than ever." Adam finished.

"Why is that? Does it have something to do with the uniform change?" Blake asked. She started to feel a pit in her stomach and she didn't understand why.

"Maybe you should explain it to her Adam. I'll gather everyone up for when your done." Ilia was being oddly distant. She wasn't even looking at Blake.

"Come, darling. We have much to discuss." Adam lead her and Blake to the secluded office again. She hoped this conversation would go better than last time. However, the odd sense of deja vu she was feeling begged to differ.

"You are perceptive as always. Can you feel the change in the air as well? The winds moving in a new direction?" Adam vaguely questioned.

"I'm usually the one with the metaphors. What is this about?"

"Hear me out. Awhile ago, I asked Sienna Khan about taking a higher rank in the White Fang."

"Oh. Well that's good news. What position did you ask for?"

"I asked for the throne." Adam stayed seriously.

"W-What?" Blake was getting nervous.

"I asked her for the throne. With all the support on my side, due to the freedom my latest deeds have brought, I asked her to step down. She refused. I'll admit I was upset; usually when people stand in my way, and therefore our way, I remove them. Then, I had a thought; instead of usurping and risking retaliation, I've decided to segregate." Adam proclaimed.

"You are not making any sense!" Blake exclaimed.

"It's simple! The only reason the White Fang have achieved so much for the faunas is because of me! The only reason our brothers and sisters have a fighting chance now is because I stepped up to those humans and fought fire with fire! The only reason rights have been given back to us is because I stormed the Schnee's ivory tower and took that basterd's head! I was only eighteen yet I had achieved more than your father or Sienna ever did because I know what has to be done."

"That not right you-

"Just listen! Please. If the White Fang will not follow me, then I will raise my own army. A force built to liberate remnant from those filthy humans. My legion, The Black Bulls, will raise a movement that will break the shackles of every faunas, put a weapon in their hand, and tell them to fight."

Blake could not believe what she was hearing. This was madness. "The Black Bulls? You can't be serious?! You want to be leader so you decide to form your own group?! You can't just abandon your life, your past, so easily!"

"Why not? The present is ever changing and who knows what the furture holds. You can't tie yourself down. You have to go after what you want. What I want is to lead our people to victory. Also, I want you there with me...as my queen." Adam stated sentimentally.

"Adam...I can't be that for you."

"Don't give me that. We have been more than friends for a long time now." He reached for Blake but she ducked away from his hand.

"The White Fang has been our life! I understand why my parents stepped away from it, but you are only doing it for selfish reasons. You can't ask me to go along with this." Blake said.

"Ilia has already agreed to join me. I already have thirty-two new recruits and much more coming from the fang. Why won't you be apart of something better? Just cast aside the ties that bind." Adam stated.

"B-But we met in the white fang-"

"NO! You are still holding on! Just let go!...I want-need you to join me Blake." He reaches his hand out again and she continued to back away. He went quite at her rejectection for a few moments.

"...you are a hypocrite." Adam said.

"Hypocrite? What are you yelling about now?" Blake questioned.

"The fact that you are giving me grieve about leaving when you were clearly going to as well." Adam said.

"How could you possibly know that?!"

"Do you think I'm stupid?! I know you more than you think I do Blake, and you've been planning to leave for awhile haven't you?!" Adam was becoming enraged.

"I wasn't going to leave-"

"Don't lie to me! Are you such a liar and a coward that you can't even tell me the truth! I see what this is now. I thought Ilia was trying to turn you against me, but now I see that it was that human girl wasn't it!" Adam demanded.

Blake eyes widened. 'Ruby! I'm a fool! I knew Adam had been following me and yet I endangered the only human in Mengerie!' Now Blake wasn't scared for herself. She was scared for Ruby.

"You don't get it do you? You have to come with me! Where would you be without me?! When I first met you, you were nothing but a stupid little girl who couldn't handle herself. You are still the same girl but the only difference is that I'm here to protect you! You mattered to no one. Not the White Fang, not Ilia, not that girl, not even your parents!...but you matter to me." He reached out for her again and this time she didn't struggle; Adam cupped her cheek.

"You matter to me. Honestly, you are the only reason I can do this. With you by my side, we can bring the faunas to greatness. We can make the humans pay for every cruelty they have committed. All I ask from you is loyalty." Adam leaned in for a kiss.

Just when he met her lips Blake's form faded away. Before he could react Blake had cracked a glass bottle against the back of his head. Completely unprepared, Adam was caught off guard. He turned around in a daze only for Blake to knee him the groin and push him to the ground. She ran out the door as fast as she could.

"BLAKE!!!" Even in pain while on the ground Adam cried in rage at Blake's form. "STOP HER!"

Blake turned her head to find several Black Bull members hear their leader's command and were running to catch up. She noticed that Ilia had not moved and only looked sad.

Tabbing that as a question for later, Blake fires gambol shroud's grappling hook and yanked herself on the nearest rooftop. Thankfully her weapon could do that with it being a Varient Ballistic Chain Sycthe(VBCS).

'I have to lose these guys as fast as I can. Ruby's in danger.' Blake thought. She had the clear advantage with her weapon being able to traverse buildings, but she would still have to find and warn Ruby Rose.

———————————————————————

It was getting fairly dark by this point, but thanks to Blake's faunas inherited night vision she was doing just fine. She lost her persuers awhile ago; they were probably being chewed out by Adam as we speak. Blake would have to find Ruby quick and figure something out from there. So she decided to check near the town square where she last met Ruby; this would probably be less like trying to find a needle in a haystack if she had the foresight to exchange scroll numbers with Ruby.

'Maybe it's a good thing I can't find Ruby. If I'm having trouble tracking her then I doubt these...'black bulls' will either. Geez, Adam you couldn't have picked a less tacky name.' Blake thought unironically.

Her attention was cut off at the sound of gunshots.

'This day just loves proving me wrong.' Blake thought dryly as she rushed toward the noise. She jumped on a roof to observe the situation.

Ruby was handling herself pretty well. Several of the black masked thugs tried to jump her, but she rushed past then in a blur of speed and sent them flying with an extendable scythe. However there is one advantage the Black Bulls had that Ruby didn't: she couldn't see in the dark. Out of the shadows, a bolas was thrown at Ruby and coiled around her legs which tripped her. Her weapon clattered away from her reach; Ruby couldn't even attempt to struggle because the bolas began to electrify her. She was screaming in pain as more Black Bulls showed up.

"Tie the brat up. Supreme leader Adam wants her alive so he can handle her personally." One of them stated.

'I guess it's time for my grand entrance.' Blake thought.

**(OST) From Shadows**

In a flash, Blake was on the ground with her sword drawn. Two faunas fell away from her opening slash. An unsuspecting one was right in front of her when she shot him in the face with her pistol. She folded the ribbon portion of gambol shroud out to swing it in an arc. The cloth tripped over several enemies that were behind her.

After that introduction, the enemy regained focus and realized who it was that just attacked them. Also, the bolas wasn't shocking Ruby anymore so she noticed too.

"Blake?!" Ruby questioned.

"Miss Belladonna! What are doing here? We are under orders to take this dirty human back to HQ." A smaller man grunted out.

"That's not going to happen. Stand down now! I don't want to fight, but I will if I have to." Blake proclaimed.

"Why would you side with this human?" He questioned.

"Because she's my friend."

"Yaw we're friends! We might even be besties, right Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, calm down you hit your head pretty hard." Blake was not ready for that sort of intamicy. She just got out of a long term relationship after all.

"Traitor!" A large man ran forward to strike Blake only when his axe collided with her, instead of grunting in pain she smirked as she exploded. The man sailed away from the force of the blast. The real Blake then appeared shooting fire dust out of her pistol. It seems she used the dust to turn her shadow clone into a fire bomb.

Blake then ran forward past the crowd and used both her sword and sheath to cut a path through the mob. She then put the blade back in the sheathe for harder attacks and knocked a pouncing jaguar faunas away.

"Get'em Blake! I'll help in a sec. Hrrrggghhh!!!" Ruby was struggling to untangle the bolas. The sight was rather comical as she was flailing her upper body around quite a lot. "Why is it always the legs?!!"

Several more Black Bulls descended from the rooftops to ambush Blake. She saw this coming and used the recoil of her gun, in a similar fashion to Ruby, to increase the speed of her strikes and batted them away. A group of fist fighters ran to attack her, but only struck her shadow clone as she pounced on them from above; she used her semblance to gain a height advantage. Blake quickly changed her cartridge to Earth dust as several more reared there fists back.

They were only met with a hard statue that hurt their hands as the melee fighters cried in pain. She appeared behind one then wrapped him in her ribbon and proceeded to toss him around and knock everyone back like a makeshift mace. With a sudden move of her hand she brought tension back into the tread and the man was thrown from her grasp into the wall.

Blake was caught off guard however when a bolas suprised her and wrapped around her torso to bind her arms. It then sent an electric shock through her as she cried in pain. She was kicked to the ground by a snake faunas; he was the asshole with the bolas.

"Stay still now." He brought out a dagger and slithered his snake-like tongue out. Before he could deliver the blow, the dagger was shot out of his hand by a sniper round.

"Told 'ya I'd help!" Ruby Rose was freed. She swung her scythe in a spin that knocked the surrounding thugs away and threw the weapon in a vertical spin. The snake faunas dodged the attack.

"It looks like you don't know how to use that thing little girl." He slithered.

"Nope."

"Eh-agh!" He was kicked away by Blake. Ruby's blade had cut her restraints. The man growled and threw another bolas. This time Blake was ready has she swing her ribbon, and the grappling hook caught the bolas then with a quick spin and flick of the wrist she tossed the projectile back. The snake man cried out had it wrapped around his hands and shocked him in return. With a resounding drop kick from Blake the pest was down.

Before Blake could engage the other interlopers she was suddenly picked up onto Ruby's shoulder.

"Oomph! Ruby what-"

"Stay calm and hold tight!" The next thing Blake knew was that she was screaming has Ruby bolted away from the scene.

———————————————————————

"I swear you were all like "Kyah!" It was so cute!"

"That was just the wind." Blake retorted.

"The wind doesn't sound like a kitty that got sprayed." Ruby giggled.

"You think we are safe here?" Blake asked while trying to change the subject to hide her embarrassment. Ruby had finally stopped when they reached the harbor.

"For now I guess. Listen, thanks for helping me back there. Who knows what those guys would have done to me if you hadn't have shown up. I'm a tad rusty from this accident I had back in Atlas. Not important. I'm trying to say thank you for saving my life is all." Ruby said nervously while scratching her head.

"Don't thank me. After all it's my fault they were after you." Blake admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"...it's a long story but the short of it is that a very spiteful person has been having me followed, and they only found out about you because you talked to me. I can't begin to apologize for how much danger I've put you in." Blake's bow flattened.

"Blake you should've told me!"

"I know, I'm sorry and-"

"If some creep has been after you then I could've helped you pummel him!" Ruby exclaimed.

"What? No Ruby you should be angry that I wasn't honest with you."

"Well we did only meet just today. I can't really be mad at you."

"How can you be so calm about this? It's because of me those faunas almost kidnapped you." Blake said.

"I mean I'm kind of use to that by now."

"Pardon?"

"You've got your secrets and I've got mine." Ruby put her hands behind her head. "Though I'll admit I'm definitely in a pickle. I should get away from here, but it's not like I can leave without finding Yang first."

"Yang? Your sister?" Blake asked.

"Yep. Oh yeah! We were so busy talking about books that I didn't even tell you about my sister."

"Does she happen to be an angry blonde berserker?" Blake had a hunch.

"More or less although I wouldn't say that to her face. Wait back up a minute! You know Yang?!" Ruby sped in front of Blake and put her hands on her shoulders to shake her.

"Not really." Blake calmly removed Ruby's hands. "Only by reputation. About a week ago, there were reports of angry blonde that rolled through White Fang trade routes like a bulkhead on wheels."

"That's definitely Yang!" Ruby squealed.

"I feel so stupid for that realizing the connection before...although you certainly don't look related?" Blake quirked a brow.

"Oh we get that a lot. She's my sister from another mother."

"...Okay."

"Well come on do you know where she went?" Ruby interrogated.

"I'm not entirely sure, but when she left she took a boat that was headed somewhere near Haven." Blake answered.

"Yes! I guess I'll take the boat for Haven tomorrow and found out what's there."

"That's good. When do we leave?" Blake asked.

"Well I'm not sure when-Hold on. Did you say we?"

"Yes. I'm coming with you."

"Oh! Not that I'm unhappy or anything, actually I'm pretty excited since this trip has been kind of lonely...but um...why?" Ruby's train of thought was derailed by the mellow girl's sudden determination.

"Let's just say that the people who are after you are after me now, too. Plus, I've been searching for a sign to leave. I guess helping someone is a good enough reason." Blake explained.

"That's cool but don't you have anyone or any reason left to stay?" Ruby asked.

"Well there are my parents, but they aren't in the area right now not too mention that I'm pretty independent from them. Also, I do have one friend left...I think. However, something tells me it's best to keep my distance so I don't cause her any more trouble. If that answer doesn't satisfy then let me paraphrase you: it's the right thing to do and it hurts to be alone."

Ruby couldn't help but give an honest smile. "I guess we can leave tomorrow then, eh?" Ruby began to walk away.

Blake looked back at the island; she was contemplating the consequences of her actions. Adam would definitely be looking for her and poor Ilia would have to be by herself for some time. Even with that in mind, Blake felt like she had to do this; she would return someday.

"Blake? You're coming right? It's time to go."

Blake turned back and smiled at Ruby. "Okay."

———————————————————————

**A/N: **Please review. Constructive criticism is wanted. No flames.


	4. Prologue:YangXiaoLong

"_I grew up to be a thrill seeker. It was kind of a selfish reason to fight the bad guys now that I think about it. After my life fell apart, I decided to be a protector. With that being said, doing something noble but with the wrong intentions can lead to a path down a very dark road."- Yang Xiao Long_

_———————————————————————_

Interesting fact: combat schools like Beacon only accept children that are thirteen. There are some rare exceptions to that rule, but it seldom happens. So those prodigy children have to grow up with the regular school system along with the other kids that don't desire to become huntsman. It's kind of flawed when you think about it; pitting two extremes together.

That's a big part of the reason why little nine-year old Yang Xiao Long is currently sitting in the principal's office. Her blond hair was rather long for a girl her age, but that makes sense because she hates haircuts. Too bad that she is only a little girl and not a stylist so her hair is currently knotted and messy looking. The dirt on her clothes helped to sell the tomboy look along with the grumpy pout she wore while crossing her arms indignantly.

Yang was failing to ignore the stern talking to by the balding principal. "We have strict rules young lady and you can not act in such a manner."

"She's the one who started it! She should've kept her stupid mouth shut!" Yang yelled back. She was aggravated from having the same lecture over and over again.

"If a fellow student is bothering you then can report them to a teacher and not take actions into your own hands."

"I did! That cow didn't care!"

"Watch your tone young lady." The principal reprimanded.

"No, because I'm sick of this!"

"Yes, and I'm sick of having to take time out of my busy schedule of managing a school just because one little brat wants some attention."

"You think I like this?!" Yang yelled.

"I think you do. I think your an insubordinate attention hog. Now I've called your legal guardian and he will be here any minute so we can sort this situation out. Now shut up." The bald asshole said. Yang called him that in her head anyway.

Not a minute later, Qrow Branwen walked into the office with a noticeable slouch in his step.

'Oh great, he went out drinking again last night.' Yang thought.

"Hey firecracker. You causing trouble again?" Qrow questioned while sitting down next to Yang.

"No." Yang replied.

"Yes she is. Mr. Branwen-"

"Yeah let's not do that. Just call me Qrow."

"...Mr. Qrow. Your niece here has caused harm to another student-"

"She started it." Yang interrupted.

"Young lady I suggest you be quite. From what I've been told she attacked another girl in a blind fury. She now has bruises all over her body. Her mother is completely livid and is threatening to sue for assault." The principal explained.

"Well she's not that smart if she's trying to sue a minor. What's really the problem here?" Qrow asked.

"The problem is your niece Mr. Branwen. We cannot have such a negative influence around other students."

"Look this is only her second offense so you can't actually expel her right?"

"Not yet." The bald man said. "If she continues this behavior then I'll have no choice."

knock* "Sorry to interupt sir but Miss Opal is here to see you."

"Oh not again. You two can wait here while I see that an angry parent doesn't destroy my school." He got up and walked out of the room leaving Yang and Qrow alone.

"So can you tell me what really happened?" Qrow asked Yang.

"This little bitch was-"

"Hey, watch your mouth." It was pretty hypocritical to advise Yang against swearing but Qrow was more of a 'do as I say not as I do' guardian.

"...this little jerk was talking trash right to my face. She was...saying all this things that...how could I not punch her eye out!" Yang exclaimed.

"What things? Did she make fun of your hair? That's no reason to hurt other people Yang." Qrow said.

"That wasn't it!...this time. She had...she called my dad a murderer. She was lying saying that my dad killed summer...killed mom...I told her to stop before she got hurt, but she just kept pushing and she said ' I bet your whole family is a bunch of freaks. Like that crazy bitch you call a sister.' Next thing I know she's on the ground and the teachers are pulling me off of her." Yang explained.

Qrow couldn't help but look sad. "Yang listen. It doesn't matter what people say; you can't take your frustrations out on anyone you want."

"I went easy on her. She's lucky I didn't break her ribs." Yang mumbled.

"Wow, your sense of self control is amazing." Qrow deadpanned. "Don't be a smartass Yang. You're here to be a student and not fight classmates. That doesn't happen until Signal and then Beacon; which you will never get into if you're kicked out now."

"I don't care!" Yang replied.

"Oh you don't care eh? Big girl doesn't care if she's a dropout is that it?

"No! I mean I don't care what they say about me! But that bitch-"

"Yang!"

"That BITCH talked about my family! Ruby was right there in the crowd and she heard everything! I don't care if they make fun of my hair or call me boyish! My little sister is being bullying and these asshole teachers don't even care! There just bastards!" Yang vented.

"Watch your mouth Yang." Qrow ordered.

"Bastard!"

"Stop it."

"Bitch! Asshole! Fu-"

"Yeah! I'm the adult here and I say you can't talk like that!" Qrow yelled.

"You're not my dad! You aren't even a guardian! You left me and Ruby at school-"

"Look I said I was sorry about that."

"-we had to walk home in the rain! Ruby cried herself to sleep that night." Yang said.

"That was weeks ago and we agreed that would never happen again. I'm here for you now aren't I?

"With a hangover! You don't care about me or Ruby so why should I care about how I act and talk!"

"I'm sorry!! Okay? I'm sorry about everything you kids have gone through. If I could go back and change what happened I would but I can't. You have every reason to be pissed off at the world. However, that doesn't give you reason to hate the people in it. No one has an excuse to act the anyway they want even with a bad hand in life. So stop acting like the world owes you something because it doesn't. Then, stop using Ruby as an excuse."

"An excuse? What?" Yang was suprised by that last line. "How is trying to protect my sister an excuse?!"

"Zip it. You want me to be an adult so I am. What you said is true; that girl said those things to you not Ruby. If Ruby was getting picked on then maybe you would be in the right, but she is waiting for her big sister to came back from the principal's office and not get expelled."

"I-" Yang has no comeback to that.

"Make sure when you do something that it's for the right reasons. Don't use your sister's grief as an excuse to relieve your own. That girl has been through way too much. If you really want to help Ruby then behave. She can't lose another family member. If you wanna help Ruby then you will not fight anymore. After you get into Signal you can go nuts, but until then will listen to me. In return, I'll do my part and act like a guardian from now on. Do we have a deal?" Qrow asked.

Yang didn't say anything for awhile. 'Ruby. I've been a bad sister haven't I? I'll make it up to you.'

"Ok deal." Yang replied. 'Don't worry Ruby. When the time comes that bastard will pay.' She thought.

———————————————————————

**-7 years later**

**Somewhere in Mistral**

Several miles away from Haven Academy was a run down little town. It was not deserted as there were many occupants, but it only served as a hive for scum and villainy. Unfortunately, this is where our now sixteen year old Yang Xiao Long was headed. She was riding her bright yellow motorcycle that she dubbed as 'Bumblebee'. Yang had ridden her vehicle into town and parked by a little tavern; her meeting place.

Yang took off a pair of aviator glasses and helmet so she could smooth out her hair. Just to be clear, all the girls who made fun of her back in her preteens by calling her boyish are eating crow now. After puberty hit Yang, she grew into her body well and she was aware of that fact judging by her atire. She wore a tan jacket with a yellow crop top that bore her midriff, black mini-shorts, brown boots, and a orange infinity scarf and finger gloves as accessories.

Yang walked up to the tavern with a confident sway to her hips and pushed open the doors with a confident smile on her face. Everyone in the tavern quickly turned their attention to the newcomer.

"Yo! Am I too late for the party? I thought this was a bar, where are all the drinking games and lovable drunks?! Well don't worry! My drinks are on me!" Yang exclaimed as she made her way towards the bar.

"One Strawberry Sunrise. No ice." She ordered.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" The bartender commented.

"C'mon I'm a paying customer. What are you gonna do bar me?...eh?" Yang was trying to hold in a laugh at her own horrible pun.

The barkeep was not amused. "Fair enough, but we don't serve that."

"Oh. My bad! Then how about a White Atlesian? No ice?" She questioned.

"Don't got that either." He replied.

"Vale ale?"

"No."

"A Mistral Cycle?"

"You made that up."

"You caught me. Just straight whiskey then." Yang ordered. The bartender poured her shot glass, then she downed it in one go. She then tapped her finger to single a refill for the glass. He refilled it. All those nights of sneaking out with Qrow's booze stash built up a decent alcohol tolerance.

"Ssssooooo I kinda have a problem." Yang admitted.

"You don't like the booze."

"Well yeah that but I mean another problem. See I'm not very subtle and I don't want to make a scene." Anyone who knows Yang can tell she is lying.

"Ok? What does subtlety got to do with it." The barkeep asked.

"A lot cuse I don't wanna trash the bar. I mean as soon as I ask for Little Miss Muffet then the spotlight will be on little miss me...did you just hear a pin drop?" Yang turned to see everyone stand up in the tavern. "See! I mean I'm use to attention but this is just ridiculous." She downed the other shot and stood up.

"Oh Little Miss Muffet! Can I get a date with Little Miss Muffet!" Yang called with her hands cupping her mouth.

"Well aren't you a noisy little bee." A heavy set woman walked out from the back with two bodyguards. They reached a table in the middle of the room. By that point several patrons had left the establishment while the obvious henchman stayed behind.

"I assume you are the one who called me? You could have gone through the back and made less noise. Also, the name is Lil'Miss." stated Lil'Miss Malachite. She spoke with a slightly off accent.

"There was a back? Maybe you should put up a sign or something." Yang sat down at the other side of the table; she either failed to realize how stupid that comment was or she didn't care.

"Cute. If you came to play Lil'Miss can play. After all it's yer lien that's being spent for my time."

"Actaully I think I spent it on information." Yang said.

"So now you wanna talk serious? Tell me: why is a lil'girl like youself all this way out here by her lonesome. Don't you know there are dangerous individuals around here."

"Pfft. Now who's playing around. As much as I like to trade barbs this is a business trip." Yang said.

"Business. Now see that don't make sense. Business implys profit. While this is business for me, what is it that you profit from?" Malachite asked.

"...closure."

"Oh now see you told a fib. That's personal not business. You are clearly new to this so let me explain. If I'm gonna give you want you want I need certain incentives like how this isn't gonna affect me at all."

"It won't." Yang's joking manner was completely replaced by aggravation now. "Do you have the info?"

"On the 'Man in a Black Coat'? Now don't you think that is a little too vague of a description? I mean I'm good but I'm not that good. As for the woman I haven't a clue." Lil'Miss said.

"You're lying." Yang said

One of the thugs moved forward only to be stopped by Lil'Miss. "Now why would I lie to a client?"

"Because you're scared." Yang claimed.

"Ha." She laughed unamusingly. "Now what pray tell should I be afraid of? You? Lil'Miss thing who thinks she can strut in here and demand answers from me without even the slightest bit of courtesy? Yer not funny lil'girl."

"First, I'm hilarious. Second, you're afraid of the man in the black coat. I know because I've followed a trail of nothing but lies, blood, and bodies from Vale, Atlas, Menagerie, all the way to here. The ones who were alive could only tell me the same thing: he's a ghost." Yang stated.

"I was never a fan of ghosts myself. Honestly I was terrified of spiders back when I was a little girl. Do you know why spiders frightened me? It was because-"

"Yeah I don't care about your backstory. If you really don't know anything about the woman that's fine. That bastard is mine though. You spiders work as information brokers so I expect the details I paid for. Now." Yang demanded.

Lil'Miss looked stoic. "I must confess...as soon as I learned who you were I was never going to give you the information. That after I learned you were the blonde bimbo who assaulted my daughters." She snapped her fingers and the hired muscle started to close in on Yang.

"Daughters? Look I've assaulted a lot of people so you're gonna have to be more specific." Yang returned to her sarcastic persona.

"You trashed Junior's bar in Vale over a month ago. My daughters worked for him and you attacked them when they got in your way." Malachite explained.

"The twins? Wow this is a small world, but are they adopted or something cuse you look nothing like them while they look like each other." Yang was legitmately confused.

"Also, some friend of your's attacked them a few weeks after that. Considering who it was I'm starting to take this as some sorta family fued." Malachite explained as her bodyguards were now beside Yang. They picked her up by her shoulders.

"Friend? Now I know your making stuff up. Look sorry I picked a fight but in my defense...they started it. So why don't I buy you a drink, we laugh, you give me what I want, and I won't burn this place down." Yang said with a smile on her face. Her real mood was displayed when her Iliac eyes turned red very briefly when she blinked.

"I'm afraid negotiations have come to a screeching halt. Good day miss Xiao Long." Miss Muffet stood up to walk away. One of the henchman who had a hold of Yang brought out a knife.

"Aaaawwwww you wouldn't hurt little ol' me right?" Yang batted her eyelashes. The thug responded with a knife thrust. Yang simply twisted her body around so that the attack missed then kneed the attacker in the gut. She then headbutt the other thug to free herself.

"You alright there bud. Here take a seat." She then grabbed her chair broke it across the kneeled over henchman. "Now before we get started...is there at least a stereo in this place? I got this playlist that I've always wanted to jam to while fighting and-" She was interrupted when a thug attacked and missed with a flying kick. "Buzzkills." Yang then grabbed him the the scruff of his shirt and threw him behind the bar.

Several of the hired muscle brought out there firearms and started to fire at Yang only for her brackets to shift into gauntlets and block the incoming fire. They were a pair of Dual Ranged Shot Gaunlets(DRSG) she called Ember and Celica and together they made Ember Celica. While Qrow was initially disappointed she didn't train for a sytche it only made sense that she would wield weapons modeled after her dad's fighting style.

Yang used the recoil of the shotgun blast from her gaunlets to zoom across the room and superman punch one of the shooters. She then changed her stance to a boxer stance and dodged the rest of the bullets aimed at her. Now in close range she made quick work of the shooters with simply jabs and punches. One of them almost got a lucky shot off with a suprise pistol but she quickly twisted his wrist and then choke-slammed him into the floor. She then blasted one away with a dust shot; he also landed behind the bar.

Yang perked her head upstairs when she saw more shooters taking aim in the balcony. To even the odds, she shot her dust rounds off into the balcony floor. The structure then became weakened and half of it came to the ground floor in a loud crash of smoke, fire, wood, and bodies. Yang winced at the "accident."

"Sorry! That looked really painful!" Her jester smile proved this apology was not sincere. Yang was cut off when she was forced to dodge a spiked ball and chain. It was a good call to dodge since the impact left a large dent in the floor. "Yikes!" She exclaimed.

Yang looked up and saw that the attacker was a girl close to her age wearing a schoolgirl outfit. "Attacking someone from behind is kind rude, y'know." Yang commented. She would have made a crack about the girl's age or her odd appearance but then she would be a hypocrite...however...

"Hold on. Have I seen you in a movie or something?" Yang couldn't help herself. The girl still remained stoic and simply forced the large spiked ball and chain back to her. With a flourish, the newcomer spun the chain around and back towards Yang. Yang decided to block this time but the force sent her back a few feet. "Wow! You are WAY stronger than you look! Wanna arm wrestle?"

This time the girl pressed a button on her handle and several of the spikes shit out of the ball and towards Yang. Even while caught off guard by the attack she blocked one and dodged a couple but was still hit by most of the projectiles. However, because of her aura she simply absorbed the damage.

'She's got the advantage. I can't get anywhere like this while she has me in range with that damn thing.' Yang thought. 'I'll have to throw her off.' She put on another smirk.

"Is that all you got? A cheap trick and a cute outfit?" Yang taunted. While the other girl's expression didn't change you could read the aggression off of her movements. She gripped the chain tightly as she swung the ball into a piller; causing it to fly into Yang direction. Yang simply punched the wood into splinters. She looked at her hand in concentration. Yang then looked over at the girl. "Don't worry I didn't break a nail."

This caused a faster attack by the ball and this time the spikes were sent flying in mid-flight. Yang dodged the entire attack by hopping onto a table and using it as a springboard. Somehow she landed on a corner of the upstairs railing that was still attached to the wall. Whether it was by accident or totally on purpose Yang landed on it sitting with her legs perfectly crossed.

Yang yawned into her hand. "Hold on let me check the time." She then brought out her scroll to play on it. The school girl's expression finally changed to something akin to muderous. She sent her ball back at Yang again. Yang underestimated the distance of the weapon and was suprised. She was so suprised that she put her scroll away in such a hurry that the balance of the railing was offset and she fell off of it. Yang landed on her feet in an attempt to make that look like it was on purpose.

Yang then ran toward's her opponent in what looked like an attack. She instead ran right past her and behind the bar. This was a good call as the spiked ball had been pulled back. Yang now knew how quickly the crazy schoolgirl could recall her weapon so she went for a feint. Yang stood behind the bar shaking a alcohol mixer. Apparently, the actual bartender ran off in the madness.

"You need to calm down girl and have fun! Want a drink? I got this idea for something called a mistral cycle. It's original! You're gonna love it I swear!" Yang ducked away from the girl's ball again. It was slower to recede back as it pulled away from the bar itself. Yang poped back up. "It's finished! Here catch!" She tosses the mixer at the school girl.

Before the object could reach her, Yang shot it with a dust shell and caused a large explosion. There was now fire everywhere and the girl's weapon was aflame because of all the alcohol that covered it from the bar. The heat from the flames caused the girl to shriek and drop the weapon. This was the moment Yang chose to dash across the room and lead with a right hook.

Yang assaulted the girl with so many brutal punches that the schoolgirl could not even defend herself. Yang ended her combo by clapping the girl's ears which caused her to grab her head in a dizzying pain. Yang then picked up the girl and dropped her into a knee slam on her back. When she was in the ground Yang kicked her over and found her unconscious.

"Crap. I went to overboard on that." Yang stopped when she heard a click and turned only to get a shotgun blast to the face. The blast made her body lurch back, but she stayed on her feet. The new gunman stood there in suprise and Yang straighted her body with now fiery hair and red eyes. He didn't get another shot in as she uppercut him through the roof with a angry yell.

"That hurt." No one could guess if she was referring to the shotgun or her punch. "Y'know, you could've ran off during that whole thing right?" Yang turned to look at Miss Muffet.

"Honestly I thought they had it handled. Clearly I was mistaken." She replied.

Yang became to walk towards her. "Wait!" Miss Malachite declared. "The man in the black coat, right? If I tell you where he is you'll let me go?"

"Tell me now."

"He's still in town but not for long. My men were smuggling him out to Argus. They are at the end of town, and if not then they should be headed to a canyon just 3 miles from here. It's a midpoint that we use as a smuggling route. If you can't catch him after that then he's gone." Malachite explained.

"Was that so freaking hard?" Yang asked. She blinked the red out of her eyes. "Not sorry about the mess." Yang walked out of the bar.

When she left Miss Muffet took out her scroll. "Hello. Yes, she's on her way just like you wanted. I gave you as much time as I could...I guess we will talk later then." She ended the call.

———————————————————————

Yang was currently on her motorcycle and trailing down the road. There was no one at the town border so she went out in the hope that she wasn't completely screwed over by misinformation.

'Good job keeping your temper back there Xiao Long. Trying to act the charming fighter trope is harder than it looks. I would feel guilty if all those thugs back there weren't part of the spiders.' Yang thought to herself.

She was now coming closer to the canyon when she saw a humvee in the distance. In the passenger seat was a person with a black coat.

'...screw my temper.' Yang's eyes flared to life as she accelerated the bike. She tried blasting the humvee with ember but shooting on the bike clearly affected her aim. Now the vehicle sharp turned into the canyon pass. "Get back here!" Yang bellowed.

Yang turned the follow him. She almost got knocked off her bike when a grenade was chucked at her, but she swerved enough to stay on the rock road and not fall into the chasm. When they passed a certain threshold other motorcyclists landed on the terrain next to Yang. They all had purple spiders on their jackets.

"More spiders? Get out of the way!" Yang exclaimed.

**-(OST) I Burn**

Yang blasted one of the cliff with a dust round. A cyclist that was too close to her was unlucky as she kicked his front wheel and he served off with his friend. Another tried ramming her bike; after the third ram she swerved back right and hit the break. She then held out her arm as a clothesline and knocked the man off. Another tried ramming her while she was stopped, but she blasted him facefust with dust.

Yang accelerated again so now she was behind her persuers. She moved in between two of them and they both attacked with stun sticks. She was blocking both of them with only one hand keeping the other on the throttle. She grabbed the one on her left by the arm and pulled him past her so she could stun the other attacker. Then, she tossed him behind her.

Another cyclist with a stun stick swerved into her bike and almost knocked her into the side rock wall. She used the recoil of her gauntlets to push herself back into the cyclist and knocked his bike off course. It's a good thing she straightened herself because the humvee dropped another grenade, and the blast took out a large portion of a wooden bridge ahead of them. Instead of stopping like the others, Yang continued to use her weapon's recoil to push her bike even faster; she performed a wheelie as she jumped the gap.

Like a burning meteorite she came down safely on the other side; her bike was aflame much like her burning hair and eyes. Two other cyclists tried to jump the gap, however one failed to make the clearance and plummeted while another never got the chance because his tire was shot out by a red figure moving in the distance. Yang failed to notice this since she was so focused on her target who had gained a lead on her.

After she took a turn be a large rock wall, Yang stopped to notice that the humvee was now vacant. "Where the hell did he go?!" She was answered by a large blast that knocked a large portion of the rock wall down. She had to drive towards the bottom of the canyon to avoid the debis and that's when she saw the new shooter.

"A freaking tank! Was is this a Spruce Willis movie?!" Yang exclaimed. Yes, she was indeed facing down a tank at the bottom of a canyon. It was a large black tank with treadmills and the name "Shelia" spray painted in white on the side. In terms of vehicular combat, she was out of her depth. The main canon turned to face Yang.

"Crap!" She sweared her bike and barely avoided the blast. Yang started firing dust rounds at the tank only for them to simply bounce off. 'Dammit! It's dust resistant and it's still a freaking tank!...then again I'm so angry right now I bet I could chew through it.' She thought.

Yang turned her bike facing the tank and charged at it in a game of chicken. When she felt she was close enough she performed another wheelie and used her recoil to launch herself off of the bike and towards the tank. Now her plan would have worked if the tank's pilot took the bait and shot the bike, but he instead fired at Yang in midair. With a large tank round to the face, she was blasted into the side of the canyon.

Yang's vision was completely blurred, her ears were buzzing, and all she could smell was smoke. Her body was completely reethed in pain. She almost blacked out if she didn't remember something.

_"It wasn't Dad! It was this man in a black coat! Tell them Yang! Dad didn't do it!"_

_"Ruby that's enough!"_

_"But Yang there was a man there! He stopped everything from moving and then I was saved by this mystery person then-"_

_"Shut up! You can't just make up stories and expect people to believe you! Just get away from me!" _

'Ruby...I didn't mean any of it...I was just scared they would take you away...I just wanted to protect you...I'll start doing that by punishing this monster!' Yang thought.

"AAAAAAAWWWWWW!!!!" Yang roared. Her aura was colored like flames and her hair was a blazing mane. Her pupils glowed so much red that her eyes were completely taken by the color. The tank fired another shell, but Yang had thrust her hands forward and completely negated the impact. This sudden power boost was brought on by her semblance absorbing the tank round and her rage for the man who caused so much damage.

Yang launched like a missile to the tank; she was so fast that it couldn't get another shot off. Yang delivered a mighty blow that completely dented the front end of the tank. She began tearing into the tank with blow after blow. It's automated guns were destroyed from the impact and she was too close for the main cannon to fire. Eventually, the force made the tank buckle and one of the treads fall off. She then began to tear the front of the tank open; like a can opener tearing apart an aluminum soda can.

Before she could make an entrance, the main door opened and a hooded figure jumped out of the tank. Either he was the only occupant or the others were too scared to come out of the tank. He didn't get far as she rushed him and knocked him down with a punch to the back of the head. She quickly rolled him over and pulled back the hood the reveal a scarred face of a man.

"You're everything I imagined you to be, you monster!" Yang picked the now scared man up. "Why did you do it?! Was it random or did someone want Summer dead? Answer me now!!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He cried.

"Stop lying you waste of life! Or else I swear I will-"

"Yang!"

Yang's eyes widened in shock. She slowly turned her head to see her sister panting and standing behind her.

"...Ruby?"

"Yang. Drop him. It's not him." Ruby Rose explained.

"What? No! It has to be him! He's the one who did it!"

"It's not Yang...I can tell."

Yang looked so frustrated but she knew her sister was right. Yangs's eyes changed back to lilac. She dropped the scarred man. "Leave." She commanded. He listened and ran away. Only when he was out of sight did Yang finally speak.

"Ruby, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, y'know I'm enjoying my summer break by traveling around, seeing the sights, and making new friends." Ruby replied.

"Sarcasm looks better on me sis. I mean how did you get here?" Yang asked.

"Well Uncle Qrow told me you were headed to Atlas and I kinda followed the breadcrumbs from there."

"I don't know whether to be angry or proud. I'll just stick with objective. You need to go back home." Yang said.

"Not without you; I've come too far for anything less." Ruby replied.

"Yeah and I've come too far to stop now. Thanks for the assist but I've got it from here."

"Got it? You were going to beat an innocent man to death!"

"First off, that guy definitely wasn't innocent of anything. Second, I wasn't going to kill him."

"It looked that way where I was standing."

"Standing? That's the issue; you are not suppose to be here. This is dangerous Ruby! I just wrestled a freaking tank! The son of a bitch I'm after is dangerous!" Yang exclaimed.

"I know that more than anyone Yang. Why are you doing this? Why did you run away? Why are you tearing everything you see apart? What do you want?!"

"To get payback for what he did. For what he did to you! Why are you not on my side here! That piece of crap took Summer away so why aren't you the one who wants him gone?"

"Yang...I don't want revenge...I just don't want to lose anymore family. That's why I'm here. I didn't come for him I came for you." Ruby looked ready eyes but steeled her expression.

"I...that's fine if you don't want it because I'll do it for you." Yang retorted.

"You aren't doing this for me Yang! I don't want this but why do you? " Ruby questioned.

"He ruined my little sister's life so of course I want to get back at him!"

"Don't use me as an excuse! Why are you really doing this?!"

"Because I lost family too!!! One mother didn't want me and the other was taken from me! The only thing everyone else did was blame dad and take him away too!!!" Yang was tearing up. "I-I want this anger...all this pain in my chest to stop but it won't go away! How can you live with this? Why aren't you angry like I am?! Why are you so strong?"

"...I'm not. Mom dying and dad going away nearly broke me, but I still had you and Uncle Qrow. It wasn't perfect...it was hard...but I just wanted to hold on to what I still had." Ruby palmed her chest. "I can feel it too. The dull throb in my chest. It's a reminder that not everything is forever and things change, but that's okay. It's okay because I still have those precious to me. That's why I want you with me, Sis."

Yang was openly crying now and ran up to hug Ruby who reciprocated it. "I've been a terrible big sister! I'm sorry for leaving you like that! I'm sorry for not believing you when we were little! I'm sorry for being so distant! I'm sorry I haven't made it up to you!" Ruby simply listened to Yang's confession and hold her.

A few minutes later the tears stopped and the sisters separated. Yang wipes her now red face. "So yeah um...when we tell this story to Qrow you're gonna leave this part out right?"

"Sure. As long as you owe me one." Ruby teased.

"Double chocolate chip when we get home then. Now can you help me find poor bumblebee. I kinda misplaced her." Yang scratched her head in embarrassment.

"Alright." Ruby stated. As soon as Ruby agreed another black humvee was pulling up in the distance.

Yang was on alert. "Who else what's in on this?"

"Hold up hang! That's Blake! She drove me here about halfway, but I got out to follow you with my semblance since the side we were on was so rocky." Ruby explained.

"A friend? Ruby you've grown up so much. Is he cute?" Yang teased.

"She's got this bow that looks nice I guess."

"Oh. I didn't know you were like that..."

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed.

Yang put Ruby in a headlock. "Oh I'm just teasing my wittle sitsa~."

"I should've left you out here!" Ruby yelled embarrassingly.

"Yep! I'm gonna make you pay for it every day from now on!" Yang proclaimed.

———————————————————————

**That night**

Miss Malachite's ordered limousine had just arrived. She climbed aboard with two fresh bodyguards. "Take me to the train station."

"Yes ma'am." The driver replied.

However before he could put the car in ignition he stopped moving. Actually, everyone stopped moving. Then, the driver's door opened and he was thrown out; same with the bodyguards. A black figure climbed into the car on a seat infront of Malachite. That's when everything resumed.

"Aaahh!! What the hell just happened!" She exclaimed.

"You sound terrified. I thought you were only frightened of spiders?" A synthetic voice came out the figure.

"Look I did want you wanted! I stalled the Xiao Long girl like you asked! It's not my fault she got away!"

"You misunderstand. The purpose of the job was never to kill the girl, but to simply throw her off my scent. In that regard, I owe you a job well done."

"So what the hell is with the ambush!" She questioned.

"Simply really. You are a loose end." He punctuated the statement by striking her sharply in the chest. Miss Muffet was trying to gasping with pain but she couldn't catch her breath.

"It seems as though your aura isn't very strong. I collapsed your lung with that single blow. Now, since you did such an admirable job I think you deserve some piece of mind in your final moments." The man in the black coat said. Miss Malachite couldn't respond because she was choking on her own blood.

"Let me relieve you of any worries. You will not die only because I broke the necks of your driver and guards. Also, I won't go after your daughters. They know nothing of me so I will steer clear of them...unless we cross paths in which case that is out of my hands. Just know that they will not become targets." He grabbed her hand. "Now breathe in deeply. Through the nose. That's it...now close your eyes...keep breathing...very good. Goodbye Lil'Miss." At that he left her corpse in the vehicle.

As the figure walked away he took out a scroll. He brought up the image of Ruby, Yang, and Blake conversing in the canyon.

"It's almost time. I can't wait to see you again...my little rose."

———————[** End of Prologue]——————-**

**A/N: **The next chapter will be the official chapter 1 of the story and will start the introduction arc.

For anyone who is curious I will open a Q/A section in the updates for people that have questions about the story that I will answer at the start of every chapter.

Next time: Silver Eyes


	5. SilverEyes

**Alucard45**: Yeah in hindsight the long prologue was probably not a good idea. I already wrote it that way though so I can't change it. That's fair. The story just started so things aren't going to really pick up until later. The next couple of chapters will follow similar events before the original material arrives.

**Immsabel**: I agree with him too. If it feels like I'm shoving in Ruby that's because this is technically her story, or at least I'm writing it like that. Plus, I wanted the connection between the group to be Ruby herself. When you think about it they would probably never be friends with each other in canon if they weren't apart of Ruby's team. I love canon Weiss but just wait until she shows up more in this story before judging this version.

**Werewolves779**: Thanks for the two reviews. I agree with you. I'm still new and I have to work on things like transitions, action, and pacing but I promise the quality will improve.

———————————————————————

It had been a year since little Ruby Rose's excursion through Remnant. She made a few friends and got her sister back so it was quite a fond memory that she held. The only problem is that after she returned home the only thing waiting for her was...school. Signal is technically a combat school, but after getting a small taste of the huntress lifestyle Ruby had a pretty miserable time coming back to what was deemed as normalcy. Ruby was not a thrill seeker like her sister; it's just that she now knew she was capable of doing bigger things.

Sadly, she'll have to wait two more years to get into Beacon. At least she has the amenities that any growing fifteen year-old girl needed to survive...like cookies for example. Which Ruby is currently waiting on after sticking them into the oven at least a minute ago. However, a minute for a bundle of energy like Ruby seemed like forever.

She was groaning facedown on the kitchen counter while waiting. She then brought out her scroll to once again check the recipe and yes, it did require at least 15 minutes for soft cookies.

"Uuuuuuggggghhhhhh! Come on… come on! Please!. I haven't eaten all day." Ruby opened the oven door. "...you know you wanna bake faster for little Ruby...ugh." She closed it and resumed her position at the kitchen counter and was tapping her fingers out of boredom.

"At this rate it would just be faster to run to the store and buy some. Oh, but homemade always tastes better and I put them in already. What do you think Zwei?" Ruby turned to find she was talking to herself. "Oh right. Vet. I'll start going crazy if they don't finish soon."

"I'm hhhhhoooommmmmeeeee!" Yang sang, slamming the door behind her. "Make way, future Beacon graduate coming through. Sup Rubes?" Yang asked as she walked through the doors.

"Uuuuuggggghhhhh." Ruby groaned in response.

"Geez, I was expecting some applause but would've settled for a superspeed hug. What's up with you?" Yang plopped down in a kitchen chair.

"Sorry Yang. Just bored and waiting for cookies." Ruby sat in the chair beside her older sister.

"Cookies as in you making cookies?" Yang looked around the kitchen. "Where's the mess?"

"I cleaned up this time ok?! I'll have you know I didn't even eat the chips out of the bag this time." Yang raised her brow at Ruby in disbelief. "I mean...I didn't eat the whole bag. Look I've gotten better what can I say." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Oh well I guess the thirty-second time's the charm." Yang commented.

"Thirty-one!...just you wait this batch will be my magnum opus you'll see!" Ruby had a big grin on her face.

"I thought that was Crescent Rose?" Yang teased.

"I can have more than one! Whatever. Where's Blake I thought you two were hanging out?" Ever since Ruby had met Blake back on her journey, they had become friends. She even went back with Ruby and Yang to Vale. Yang and Blake surprisingly hit it off and became good friends. Sometimes Blake would come over to visit but lately she had stopped with the excuse of being too busy. Whatever that means.

"Oh. Well I guess you could call it that. Turns out she's just being Blake again. Whenever there's something up she tries to handle it by herself." Yang explained, shaking her head and shrugging.

"Isn't that kind of the pot calling the kettle Blake, sis?" Ruby joked.

"Leave the puns to me Rubes. Also, I'm not that bad anymore. The fact that I'm trying to help Blake should prove that."

"Then why am I never invited to the 'night parties' that you two go to?"

"Aaaawwwww is my whittle sista feeling left out?" Yang uncomfortably started hugging Ruby as she teased her.

"Ack! Yang no! I'm not jealous I'm bored! Get offff!" Ruby struggled against Yang's strength. Yang let go of her sister and got out of her chair.

"Look sis, if you're bored then go make some friends. Socialize! Spread your red cape and fly!" Yang flailed her arms into the air then nodded in approval at the thought.

"B-But I already have friends!" Ruby backfired. She sank into her arms to hide her face.

"Blake isn't a social animal and whoever that girl you talked about in Atlas hasn't contacted you so she's out or if she's even real."

"She was real. She has long white hair, soft blue eyes, was kinda crabby- eh wait was that Blake comment a pun?" Ruby questioned.

"That's how you make a pun sis." Yes, Yang knew about Blake's faunas heritage. Ruby felt bad about keeping that information from her sister. Thankfully, Yang can keep a secret even if she'll bribe you with it to help with the "night parties".

"That's kind of racist, Yang." Ruby stated.

"Nah. Anyway, if you're so bored then why don't we go out and hit the town! Think of it as a celebration for yours truly heading off to party-er train at Beacon." Typical Yang. She just got home, but is willing to head out again.

"No! I have cookies in the oven and I'm not leaving until they're done!" Ruby hopped out of her chair and swung her arms to pronounce.

"You mean that oven?" Yang pointed out.

"Yes!"

"That one?"

"Yesss!"

"The oven that isn't turned on?"

"What?!" Ruby zoomed over to check. "...Yes. Okay. Let's go." Ruby relented.

"Hold on, what if your cookies burn?" Yang laughed.

"Let's go!" Ruby yelled, already out the door.

——————————————————————-

"I wanna go." Ruby stated demurely. She was walking with Yang down the street.

"What?! Come on, Ruby! We just got here! We've been to three different stores and you haven't picked anything out." Her older sister replied.

"Well, we've been to three different stores. I like what I'm wearing, I don't wear makeup, and I'm too young to drink." Ruby kicked the tips of her boots into the ground and looked down in boredom.

"All fair points. I know! How about an arcade? We haven't been there in forever! I'm down for some air hockey." Yang offered.

"We can just play on our scrolls." Ruby really wasn't feeling it tonight.

"What's wrong, Ruby? Your usually this red riding beam of sunshine but now you're even bumming me out. Are you depressed?"

"What? No." Ruby answered.

"Boy troubles?"

"What?! No!" Ruby blushed then hid her face in her hood.

"That's all I got. Can't we just skip to the part where you tell me what's wrong?" Yang questioned.

"It's like I said: I'm bored. You're going off to Beacon and probably with Blake too since she's old enough. I'll be stuck at Signal with no one I know." Ruby explained.

"Oh." Yang suddenly understood. "Ruby it's not that you're bored. It's that you're scared."

"Of what?" Ruby let her hood down and looked up at her sister.

"Things changing. Everything has been pretty good this year. You and I talk again, Qrow is around more, and you finally found a friend in Blake." Yang listed off.

"I don't feel scared." Ruby objected.

"Well you're not like me, Ruby. You don't go looking for a fight. You're the one who ends it. If you feel "bored" that's just you feeling alone, which could mean sad or scared."

"Have you been reading Blake's books?"

"Only the smutty ones. The writing is actually pretty good. Look if you ever feel this way again, then just talk to your big sis about it. You helped me get past my problems, so it's the least I can do." Yang smiled and put her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Ok. Thanks Yang." Ruby smiled.

"Anytime. Say uh...if it'll make you feel better...we can go see dad." Yang offered.

Ruby's face lit up at that. "Really? You think they'll let us visit again?"

"Well, they did last week so I don't see why not. Besides he needs to get in on the celebration somehow." Yang's scroll let out a beeping noise.

"Errr… hold that thought." Yang answered her scroll. "Well, Kitty Cat, did you change your mind? Eh? What the heck? Where? Blake? Hello? What smoke-"

Yang was cut off by the sound of an explosion in the distance. A large plume of smoke swallowed the sky. "Oh, that smoke. Be right there...Blake? Crap." Yang hung up.

"Soooo did that scroll call have anything to do with that?" Ruby pointed at the smoke.

"Yep. That's where the 'night party' is at. Wanna come?" Yang asked with an excited grin.

"Well, duh! Someone could be hurt!" Ruby took off in a rush of rose petals.

"Oh wait-uh crap. Where did I park bumblebee?"

———————————————————————

Five minutes earlier

Two assault vehicles, two transport vehicles, and a large 18-wheeler truck carrying who knows how many supplies barreled down Vale's highway. It was an SDC convoy. They had arrived into Vale earlier in the morning and the two truck drivers were getting bored.

"Hey, Phil?" The passenger asked.

"What, Todd?" The driver asked while rolling his eyes.

"Do you ever wonder why we're here?" Todd contemplated.

"That's a tough question. Who knows really. I mean why are any of us here? Especially in a monster infested land like Remnant. Where kids are trained like soldiers to fight said monsters, but you can't blame other people for leering that happen because they're just trying to survive against it all. Bandits, criminals, terrorists, Girl Scouts. I mean the world is already a crazy enough place. Like, we use magic crystals like toothpicks, some of use have superpowers, and the freaking moon is in pieces and we just treat that as normal. Not to mention an entire sub-species of humans with animal traits that, on top of everything else, just completely makes you question what does being human actually mean. Sometimes I lie awake at night wondering if we live in this hellscape as some kind of divine punishment from the past or, if no matter the fact that you have super strength or bird wings, that we are just all made to suffer equally on one planet." Phil said philosophically.

"...Uh well...I guess, but I meant why are we transporting this large amount of SDC grade dust in broad daylight." Todd clarified.

"Oh...yeah I guess that question makes more sense. Just forget that you heard all that."

"I'll try to, but I think my therapist will drag it out of me. Would you be interested in sharing with him instead?" Todd offered with an awkward smirk.

"What? No, dammit Todd. It's not couple's therapy! Hold on. Weren't you listening to the powerpoint?"

"Oh, sorry If I didn't take freaking notes for the test." Todd replied throwing his arm up. He let out a faint yelp as his hand slammed into the window.

"Oh my- listen because I'm only going to say this once. We-that's me and you- are driving the truck. Are you following along so far?" Phil questioned.

"I guess. Keep going."

"Geez. Well we are currently being escorted by SDC security personnel and a legion of death dealing robots because we're carrying enough dust to blow a hole in the walls of a kingdom. Not to mention, some top secret goodies that we aren't classified to know about and we won't know about it because that stuff gives me tingly spine syndrome… Also, if we find out, they'll probably cut out our tongues." Phil morbidly explained.

"Tongues? Ooooh, so we couldn't talk about it. We could still write it down, though." Todd smirked liked he'd made a new discovery.

"For the love of- AND our hands! Anyway, we have to bring all this highly volatile material to a new and hidden research center in this city. Have I answered all of your stupid questions?"

"I think so. Just one more." Todd asked.

"Who are those guys?" He pointed out the windshield.

"What guys? Uh oh!" Phil exclaimed. A group of armed men were patrolling on the bridge they were passing under. By the time he spotted them, it was too late to stop and they drove under the bridge. Suddenly a large semi truck drove longways in front of the convoy where the lead vehicle crashed into it. Phil tried to backup, but only bumped into an armored transport. He looked back and saw that the entrance was also blocked off by another truck.

"If we die, I'm blaming you." Phil claimed as he stared at Todd.

"We'll be dead. Whoopty-freaking-doo, I guess." Todd shrugged.

The gunmen atop the bridge were beginning their assault. A group of them with grenade launchers fired smoke grenades below the overpass. They were all clad in black gear with black Grimm masks with two large horns on top. They placed grappling hooks on the railing and began to grapple down from both sides of the bridge. When the gunmen landed, they opened fire on the personal vehicles first.

The SDC guards were well equipped, but were taken by surprise, so several of them were quickly shot down. The ones who did fight were using their vehicles as cover and trying to fire on the assaulting terrorists. However, the black-clad gunmen had the fire supremacy. "Activate the drones now, dammit! We can overwhelm the bastards with numbers!" A commanding officer ordered. The transports opened up to reveal a mass of security robots. They came online and began to fire at the attacking gunmen.

Several were shot before taking cover behind their own armored trucks. Some backup would arrive for them in the form of a black limousine riding up towards the entrance. It screeched to a halt and the criminal, Roman Torchwick exited the car, cane first.

"Oh, I just hate traffic jams. Hurry up and finish the job boys. I've got places to be!" He called out. One of the gunmen was downed after his comment.

"Well, if you want something done right." He casually reached into his pocket and brought out a scroll. "Perhaps this will speed things back up." He opened up an app and input a code. Immediately after that, most of the drones lights switched from red to blue and began turning on the SDC officers. Having the advantage again, the gunmen began to march under the bridge to clear everyone out.

"That's better." Torchwick was strolling casually along twirling his cane as gunfire echoed in the tunnel.

Back on the bridge, several gunmen were left to guard their transports and equipment. They were ordered to move out on Roman's signal. A suspicious girl climbed out of the truck of one of the transports. She was wearing a black mask like everyone else, but she wasn't wearing any of the matching gear. She walked towards one of the ammunition boxes and retrieved a detonator and a dust explosive device. Her bow was twitching from the thought of having to do this.

Roman was currently waving a hand over his face like a fan. "Quite a mess you've made here boys. Didn't have to kill everyone, but to each their own. Although, I think our friends here did the real heavy lifting." He pat a drone on the shoulder while passing by. "If there's no one in the way, then why haven't you taken the truck yet! Let's move, people! The cops- hell, maybe even hunters could be headed here and we gotta be gone. What's the hold up?"

"Well sir...the doors are locked." One gunman answered with a choppy, uneasy voice.

"The doors are locked… Okay then." Roman knocked on the window of the truck with the butt of his cane. "Would you mind unlocking the truck, please?" Phil and Todd responded by turning on the radio and sinking lower into their seats.

"Well, it was worth a shot. You! Bring the buzzsaw and cut the hinges of this door. Now! We can't risk damaging the merchandise, people! Unless you wanna blow up with these idiots!" He pointed to the hiding pair.

Meanwhile, Blake was planting the charge on one of the vehicles. She used her scroll to call Yang. "C'mon Yang pickup… Yang it's me." Blake whispered. "Yes actually. It turns out I need your help. The Black Bulls are robbing a SDC convoy."

"Hey you! Who are you talking to?" A Black Bull spotted her. Blake began to run towards the edge. "Just follow the smoke!" Blake ended the call and jumped off the bridge. She shot gambol shroud's grappling hook to safely rappel down the side. She hit the detonator and the charge created an explosion that engulfed most of the transports. There was now plenty of black smoke for Yang to follow if she was having any trouble.

As Blake landed on the ground she caught the attention of Roman and his men. "What the- Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Ugh. So you're the little pain in my side that's been sniffing around our operations." Roman sneered and aimed the butt of his cane at the faunus.

Blake took off the Black Bull mask. "Why is someone like you working with the Black Bulls? They're even more extreme than the White Fang!"

"That's kind of the point, dear. These hard working bunch of animals can get the job done. Like so." Roman snapped his fingers. At his command, several Black Bulls moved in along with some of the drones.

"Why are you taking orders from this scum? He's using all of you. This isn't what we wanted. The faunas are supposed fight against control, not seek it out! Are you really all okay with this?" Blake tried to reason with the group of faunas.

"Sorry kitty, but as it turns out, we have a common goal uniting us. Who would've thought?" Torchwick smirked at Blake.

"Now that I think about it," he continued, "you must be 'the one who got away' he was talking about. Definitely fit the description. And boy, do you know how to pick 'em. He's going to be absolutely thrilled to learn that you're in Vale. Take her." Roman ordered the Black Bulls.

They were quick to obey, as one of the cat-like faunas leapt towards the girl. Blake's shadow clone suddenly vanished beneath them. The enemy looked around confusingly for her, but on was jumped from behind. She quickly neck chopped him and took a smoke bomb off his belt to throw into the crowd. The smoke spread like wildfire and Blake took advantage of the situation.

She pulled out Gambol Shroud and fired the grappling hook at one of the drones. She launched herself towards it and slashed down several gunmen in her dash. She drop kicked the robot into the wall. One of her shadow clones jumped on a drone and it froze in a flash; revealing that it was infused with ice dust.

Roman looked visibly ticked that this cat girl was making short work of his min-uh helpers. So he decided to do something unexpected. He pointed his cane at the bridge above their heads and fired a dust round. Large chunks of debris rained down on the group of Black Bulls along with their attacker. "Hm. Sturdy bridge." Torchwick thought aloud.

Blake was caught off guard, but began dodging the debris as she continued to take down the Black Bulls.. However, a decent sized piece of debris had cracked her on the head. Her aura protected her enough to keep her going, but now her vision had started to get blurry.

Blake was desperately trying to regain focus and clear her vision. The first thing she saw when she could see straight was a cane that nailed her across the face. Blake caught herself and tried to stand, but Roman pointed the cane right at her face.

"Tsk tsk." Roman was wavering his finger. "I'd love to end this charade of yours right here, but I think we can both agree our mutual acquaintance would prefer it if you didn't have a hole in your head when I bring you to him." Blake grumbled and gave him a glare full of hatred. Torchwick gave her a devilish grin.

"You know, I just have to ask. Of all the things you could have done, what brought you to the conclusion to jump in here and rain on my parade?! Really! What was your exit strategy?" Roman asked.

"Honestly? I was just buying time." Blake answered.

"For who? The cops? True, they'll be here any minute, but by the time the truck is unlocked, we'll be out of here before they can even finish their donut lunches."

"Good guess, but no. I was waiting on friends." Blake corrected.

"Pardon me?" Roman quirked a brow.

"I was waiting on friends. A girl's night out." Blake repeated.

"You're joking, right?" Roman questioned. He burst into laughter at the thought.

A red blur fell from the bridge and right on top of a drone in a large explosion of rose petals. The surrounding men all shielded their eyes from the force of the wind that cleared the remaining smoke out. Even Roman was forced to keep his bowler hat from flying off. The petals fell to reveal Ruby Rose with an extended Crescent Rose.

Ruby raised her head to speak. "Aw-chu!" Ruby sneezed. "Excuse me. There's just so much pollen. Oh, hey Blake!" Ruby waved. She sliced the drone in half and hopped to the ground.

"Hi Ruby." Blake calmly waved back.

"I feel like I know her from somewhere. Let's see red cape, red scythe, even red hair… Wait a second, Red?! The cat and Red are playmates? That's just great. As if my day wasn't ruined enough." Roman complained.

"Oh yeah! I remember you! Do you know how many traffic laws you violated running away from me?!" Asked Ruby.

"...Wait, why am I dealing with this when that's what they're here for? Well, go! Get them!" Roman ordered the confused henchmen.

They fired at Ruby but she sped away using her semblance and fired at them with her sniper. Blake wrapped Gambol Shroud's ribbon around Torchwick's leg and tripped him up. Before she could get anyway closer, he fired another dust round that she had to dodge. Ruby was now up close to the gunman and waving her sytche verticality to block dust bullets and knock away anyone who got too close.

Blake began chasing Roman, but she was cut off by a firing squad of drones. She quickly ducked behind a large pile of debris for cover. Then, she began firing shots with the pistol attachment of her weapon. While she nailed at least two drones, she was still being pinned down by a dozen more. Luck was on her side though in the form of a yellow motorcycle that revved into the tunnel to crash into the drones creating a path through. Bumblebee stopped where Blake was and Yang dismounted. "Follow the smoke, huh? That was plan A?" Jested Yang.

"It was short notice. What took you so long?" Blake took Yang's hand and pulled herself up.

"Needed to find my baby. Also, what the heck are you even doing here?" Yang asked as she looked around at the chaos.

"I'll explain later." Blake waved it off.

"Fine. Wait Blake before we start is this joke racist-"

"Yes." Blake answered before Yang could finish.

"But you didn't even hear it yet."

"If you feel the need to ask, then it probably is. Now would you kindly smash some robots for me?" Blake insisted.

"Alright, no need to sweet talk me." Yang unfolded Ember Celica and charged into the remaining drones; she knocked two away with a double superman punch. She directed the rifle of one drone to fire at another then uppercut it away. She grabbed one by the leg and slammed it into more like a blunt weapon before tossing the drone away when its upper body fell off. Yang fired some dust rounds to knock several of them away so she could run to help out Ruby who had just swept a Black Bull off his feet and shot him into the wall.

"Hey, Ruby. Wanna play "Rising Dragon"?" Asked Yang.

Ruby looked at her sister smiled. "Go long!" Ruby held out Crescent Rose so Yang could grab on the polearm. They both began to spin around and using their semblances to make a small fire tornado. Ruby released her weapon and Yang went flying away with Crescent Rose. Yang went blazing while wielding her sister's scythe in a large mass of fire.

Yang shot like a rocket knocking aside three more Black Bulls. She headed straight for their armored truck; raising Crescent Rose she let out a shout and sliced clean through the metal, causing it to explode. Yang walked out with red eyes and tossed Ruby her weapon back. "Thanks, sis."

Ruby caught it. "Ow! Ow! Holy cow, that's hot! My poor baby! It looks like the paint is scratched!" Ruby pouted.

"Ruby, it's gonna be fine. It can't feel anything." She patted her sister on the back.

"Well, SHE feels like we shouldn't do that move again if you're gonna treat her like this!" Ruby replied.

"And now we're losing to not one, not two, but three crazy kids. Yep, I think I'm done here." At that, Roman was going for broke and shot the back of the truck. The dust round tore the back of the truck completely open and several crates of what could only be dust were seen. "Get them into the truck now!" At his order, several men began pulling the crates out one by one and were loading them in their last armored truck.

"Oh no you don't!" Blake charged at Roman to begin clashing her sword against his cane. Despite Roman's appearance, he was a good fighter who was holding off Blake well. He countered and parried each of her sword strikes with relative ease. Torchwick managed to dodge a close range gunshot from Blake and responded to her with a kick to the abdomen that knocked her away.

"Hey eyelashes! Look out!" Yang charged at Roman. Out of nowhere a little tri-colored girl landed in front of Roman. Instead of hitting something solid, their bodies shattered away when her fist connected.

"What the-" Yang turned and saw that Roman was near the Black Bull truck and the tri-colored girl had walked from behind it to stand next to him. Twirling a parasol the whole time with a cheeky smile on her face.

"About time you showed up. What took you so long?" Asked Roman.

The girl simply shrugged her shoulders while still smiling. She wasn't much of a talker, one could say.

"Right. Stupid question." Roman turned his head to see police lights reflecting through the back of the tunnel. "Well, kiddies, I guess we'll have to resolve this another time." Roman waved goodbye and the girl followed behind him as they jumped into the truck to speed off before police could get there.

"We can't let them get away." Blake went to chase but was cut off by the sound of a megaphone. "This is the Vale police! Put your hands up and surrender peacefully!"

"Crap. Blake, we better listen to what they say." Yang said.

"B-but they're-" Blake turned to witness the truck begin to camouflage itself. It disappeared into the darkness leaving the teenagers alone to explain what had happened.

"That was weird." Yang commented.

"I can't believe we let them get away." Ruby added.

"Rubes, it's fine. We'll just explain our situation to the cops and maybe they can help." Yang reassured.

"You of all people, should know that won't achieve anything." Blake stated.

Several minutes later, the police had set up a perimeter around the area. At that point, both the SDC truck drivers left their seats to sit outside.

"Todd, I think I'm ready for that therapy session." Phil said.

"I'll arrange the appointment." Todd got out his scroll and began dialing a number.

Meanwhile, the girl's were waiting patiently for someone to talk to until a familiar detective approached them.

"Oh no." Groaned Ruby as she recognized him.

"What?" questioned Blake.

"It's this guy." Yang rolled her eyes.

Detective Wallace approached the trio with a look of pure exasperation. "Why is it that when something blows up, it's always you two?" He looked at the two sisters, completely ignoring Blake.

"Hey Wallace. How's the wife?" Yang sarcastically asked with a smile.

"I'm in no mood, Miss Xiao Long." Wallace finally took notice of the cat girl. "Who's she? If she's with you two, I'm sure she's another pain to add to my side." He pointed to Blake.

"Blake, Detective Wallace. Detective Wallace, Blake. Now you've met." Yang said in a rush.

"How do you know this man?" Blake questioned confusingly.

"He locked up our dad." Ruby answered omberly.

"Oh. Well this is awkward." Said Blake.

"We are not here to discuss the past, Miss Rose. What the hell happened here tonight and why were you three involved?" The detective took out a notepad to write down their explanations.

"Weelllll...it's like this..." The three said in harmony.

———————————————————————

"...and that's what happened." Ruby had just explained her version of the events for the third time in an interrogation room.

"So let me get this straight." Wallace humored her. You, along with your sister, were going out for ice cream with a friend. Then, spotted the explosion, that you don't know how occurred, and just happened to be close enough to be there before a response team. Is that right?" Wallace asked.

"Yep."

"I find that very hard to believe." He leaned back in his chair, trying to make sense of it.

"Well, what did the others say?" Ruby asked.

"..." Detective Wallace began to remember the other's descriptions of the events with a shiver of agony.

———————————————————————

"-then I said 'A Beowulf? I hardly know her!' Hahahahaha!" Yang laughed at her own joke.

———————————————————————

"Lawyer." Blake stated.

"Miss Belladonna I haven't even-"

"Lawyer."

"The sooner you cooperate the sooner-"

"Lawyer."

————————————————–——————

"...Nothing of value, that's for sure. Look, Miss Rose, this isn't the first time you've been caught with your hand in an ongoing investigation. If anyone else was here, they'd be holding you in a cell with some dust addict. I know you're a good kid. So please prove me right by helping me out?"

"Why would I ever help you?" Ruby questioned spitefully. "Even if I did tell the truth-which I totally am- you wouldn't believe me as usual." Ruby shrugged.

"I'm not playing around, Ruby. These are dangerous people you're getting mixed up with. Just because you've had it rough doesn't mean you can go off causing everyone else grief."

"I was helping! People were being shot, property was being stolen, and I didn't see you anywhere near there helping! You say you care, but the bad guy got away...again." Ruby slumped.

"I'm not a hunter Ruby. Neither are you." Wallace said somberly.

With a knock, the door suddenly opened. A strict looking blonde haired woman with glasses walked in. For some reason she was wielding a riding crop. "Hello Wallace." She greeted.

"Glynda?! What are you doing here?" Exclaimed the detective. He quickly stood up.

"This girl has no reason to be here any longer. Also, this is now a Beacon matter." Glynda Goodwitch claimed.

"Last time I checked Beacon Academy did not own the police station." Wallace backfired.

"Please leave, Detective. Ozpin would like a word with this girl." Glynda commanded as politely as she could.

"Fine, but Ozpin owes me an explanation for this." Wallace left the room.

For about a minute, Ruby was trying not to stare awkwardly at Glynda. She was failing. "Uh hi." Ruby meekly waved. Glynda simply inclined her head.

After that exchange, a new person entered the room and shut the door behind him. He was a tall white-haired bespectacled man who was wielding a cane he obviously didn't need. He sat down in front of Ruby and simply looked at her for awhile. It was as if he was trying to not only examine Ruby herself, but the soul inside her. He was so fixated on her, that Ruby nervously shrunk down in her chair.

He finally spoke. "You have silver eyes."

"Umm... Yeah I do." Ruby answered with a confused tone.

"That's a trait that not many people have." He raised a brow.

"Well, my mother had silver eyes so I have them too." She laughed awkwardly.

"Miss Rose, do you know who I am?" He sat in the detective's chair directly across from Ruby.

"You're Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy." Ruby explained without hesitation.

Ozpin smirked. "I suppose you know since we share an acquaintance with an old crow. He told me that he's the one who taught you how to wield a combat scythe."

"Well yeah, I'm pretty good. I mean not that good because I'm still learning, but who knows? I may be really good someday after I go to Beacon! Right sir?!"

"Miss Rose, are you nervous?" Ozpin asked calmly. He continued to examine her every movement. It made Ruby feel like she was being tested.

"No. I mean a little." She gave an awkward smile.

"I suppose that's my fault." He fixed his glasses. "I should've brought some cookies to ease your nerves. Do you know why I wanted to speak with you today?"

"From experience, this is the part where the adult tells me to stay out of trouble." Ruby was twiddling her thumbs together nervously.

"Yes. Well, I'm not going to do that. These are dark times, Miss Rose. Peaceful times, but still dark. Sometimes we depend on some youthful energy to combat that darkness." Ozpin said.

"What are you saying, sir?" She couldn't understand what he was trying to get at.

"Miss Rose...Ruby how would you like to go to Beacon?"

"I would love to! To be able to train to be a huntress and be a hero like in the stories my sister used to read for me as a kid would be a dream come true! ...But I have to wait until I'm old enough." Her excitement quickly turned to sadness as she sank back into her seat.

"No, you don't actually." Ozpin smiled.

"Uh." Ruby seemed confused. She wasn't sure how to feel about the professor. He seemed to like dragging out his true intentions.

———————————————————————

-(OST) Gold

"Oh Ruby I'm so proud of you!"

"Yang!...crushing me...can't breath...there's a light." Ruby wheezed.

"Oh sorry." Yang released Ruby from her bear hug. "I'm just so excited that my baby sister gets to go to Beacon with me!"

"I guess so. Say, where did Blake go?" Ruby asked.

"Don't know. You know Blake, she goes wherever." Yang shrugged. "If you really want her back, we can just leave a bowl of milk out for her."

"Yang."

"I know. Seriously though isn't this what you wanted? To go to Beacon so you could still hang out with me and Blake? Problem solved!" Yang gave a thumbs up.

"I mean...I think. The more I think about it the more I think you were right. I was scared- scared of everything changing again. You two have been doing who knows what and were about to leave me behind at Beacon. I know it's selfish to feel that way, but I suppose I can't help it." Ruby said.

"Ruby, listen. You're the most selfless person I know. Believe me, it's okay to feel negative sometimes. It's because you're still growing up." Yang smiled at her sister.

"You're right. Sorry for worrying you. Although if I'm being honest, I'm pretty excited now. I get to be a huntress faster than I thought." Ruby took a triumphant pose.

"Stop apologizing already. I know it's kinda late, but why don't we go by and tell Dad the big news?"

Ruby perked up at that. "Let's go!"

———————————————————————

**Vale State Penitentiary**

Ruby and Yang were currently in the visiting area of the local prison standing in front of the thick glass to keep the prisoners separate. Ruby was sitting in the chair while Yang stood beside her. There was a loud buzz as the large metal door opened to reveal two large security guards escorting a disheveled and orange prison jumpsuit clad Tai Yang Xiao Long. The guards removed his chains but kept his cuffs on. He seemed to have an aura suppression collar clamped around his neck with an ID number on it. His was 6-22-81.

Tai pressed the speaker panel near the glass so he could talk. "I'm sorry, who are you two? I was expecting my two cute little girls to visit, not young women." Tai Yang smiled. It's a wonder where Yang got her sense of humor.

"Haha, dad." Yang responded. "Shouldn't you be more worried that you're girls are growing up so fast?"

"Not in the slightest. As long as you're chasing the boys away, you two can keep growing." Tai Yang replied.

"You know it." Yang winked.

"Hey, Ruby." Tai greeted his daughter.

"Hey, Dad. I've got some news." Ruby said uneasily.

"Sounds important. Lay it on me."

"You know how Yang is old enough for Beacon now? Well, something happened and I got accepted too. To go this year, I mean!" Ruby said with a big smile.

"Really?! That's fantastic honey! Both of you are going to make great huntresses. Who knows, you may end up on the same team. Man, that takes me back. Say was this Ozpin's doing?" He asked.

"Yep. He just said I had silver eyes and the next thing I know, I'm going to beacon!" Ruby shrugged with an innocent laugh.

"Mmmm. Well that's interesting." Tai Yang mused. He did his best to pretend that he didn't know what that meant.

"Mmm?" Ruby quirked a Brow.

"Oh nothing, Sweetheart. Well, if you both will be staying at Beacon, I guess that means you won't have time for little ole me, huh?" Tai Yang said this smiling with no hint of remorse.

"Dad, no i-"

"Dad we've had this conversation before." Yang interrupted. "We'll never stop wanting to see you."

"I know. It's just that...you two have already suffered enough because of me. I don't want to give you false hope that I'll make it out of here anytime soon." Tai Yang sighed.

"You're going to get out." Ruby said determinedly.

"Now Ruby you can't be saying things like-"

"You didn't do it, Dad. He did. I'll prove it someday." Ruby promised.

"Ruby don't do anything reckless. You have to focus on school and doing things a normal Beacon student should. Don't waste your potential on me." Tai Yang pleaded.

"I know what to do. I'll study hard. I'll work hard. I'll become a huntress. Then I'll get you out of here. It's a huntress's job to protect innocent people dad and you're innocent." Ruby proclaimed.

Tai Yang couldn't help but look touched. "Our time's almost up. Know that I love you girls so much. Be good, okay?"

"Yes, dad." Ruby said.

"Ok, Dad." Yang replied.

At that, Tai Yang stood up and was filed back through the doors by the guards. Yang turned to Ruby.

"Did you mean what you said?" Yang asked.

"It's a promise." Ruby answered with a thumbs up.

———————————————————————

**Somewhere in** **Vale**

"Roman. I can't express how disappointed I am. We had such a rare opportunity and now you have utterly wasted it." An attractive young woman wearing a short dress was currently scolding Roman. Cinder Fall wasn't happy about his report.

"Woah, woah, slow down there. It's not my fault the animals that want to be protected couldn't open a freaking truck door. Am I in the wrong here, Neo?" Roman questioned his little mute assistant.

Neo raised two fingers to form the universal symbol of "a little".

"Oh, who asked you?" Roman then turned back to Cinder.

"Look, first you're all like 'Roman be discreet and steal from the dust shops. We don't want unnecessary attention.' Then you're saying 'Oh Roman, rob the SDC dust convoy. Time is of the essence.'' I can't keep playing hot and cold with you. Look around." Roman waved his hands at all the crates of the dust they had collected in this warehouse. "We have more than enough dust thanks to ME. Why on Remnant do we need anymore?" There were numerous cases stacked to the ceiling all over the place.

"You were hired to do a job, Roman. That's all you need to know." Cinder responded harshly.

"Well, what's in the restricted containers anyway? More dust?" Roman questioned.

"Perhaps. Whatever's in them will be useful to our cause either way." Cinder played coy.

"Where did you even hear about this stuff in the first place?" Torchwick questioned.

Cinder looked thoughtful about answering. "The one who dresses in all black."

"That creepy guy? Why are you making deals with him?"

"I don't have to explain my reasoning to you. Again; You were hired for a job, so fulfill the quota or I'll find someone that will. Don't let me hear of another failure Roman." At that Cinder began trolling away.

Roman shook his head and turned to look at an unsmiling Neo. "I know. I've got a bad feeling too."

———————————————————————

**Next time: Arc of** **Beacon**


	6. ArcofBeacon

**Bill Gopher: **Yes the prologue was necessary, but I feel like I could have written it so much better. I never want it to be a chore to read something. The current arc( next 2-3 chapters) will be close to canon, but after that new material will be introduced. The new plotlines were teased in the last five chapters. I feel like Torchwick is always talkative so it want to OOC. He's just concerned for his well-being because he's dealing with some crazy lady that spews fire.

**Xfel: **

Yeah the road trip was a way for Ruby to meet the rest of RWBY early and set up the new context of this world. I love The Flash tv show so there may be some unconscious references. For example, there was a Red vs. Blue reference last chapter.

——————————————————————-

Jaune Arc was not having a good day. _'Enroll at_ _Beacon Academy_.' he said. _'It'll be good for him_.' he said. If the current motion sickness was anything to go by, then his first year at beacon would be a true trial by fire. Jaune already regretted all the life choices that brought him here, and he wasn't even on academy grounds yet.

_'Oh man. Just hold it in. Oh gods, my stomach. Calm down Jaune maybe it's just nerves_...nope.' Jaune thought as he immediately put his head over the railing of the large transport airship. He didn't even remember eating breakfast.

'Ok. I think I'm good...oh no walking makes it worse.' Jaune hurled again but this time on the floor of the airship.

"Ew! Yang you got some on your shoe!" Exclaimed a red clad girl.

"Gross, gross, gross, gross!" The blonde repeated as she chased the other girl around. "Get it off me! Get it off!

"Yang! No! Get away from me!" They began chasing each other around the airship with the blonde trying to get the younger girl's help.

Jaune was knocked onto the floor in the middle of the hot pursuit. Thankfully, he landed on the clean part of the floor.

_'Is this ride ever gonna end?'_ Jaune thought with remorse.

———————————————————————

After a while, the airship landed with Jaune being one of the last students to stumble his way out. He did his best to ignore the snickers from other students as he barely made his way onto the grounds. Now that his nausea faded away, Jaune was able to take a look at the massive structure that was Beacon.

"Geez. THIS is a freaking school? Too bad I can't whistle." Jaune marveled at the large castle that was Beacon itself along with the decorative school grounds. He took a moment to stare in awe at the massive statue in front. Even the sight of other airships dropping more students off in the background was a splendid sight to see...although it made him a little queasy so he just turned away with chills going down his spine.

"Hunters get all the funding, I guess. I've got big shoes to fill. Yeah." Jaune started sounding almost depressed at his own self realization. However, he couldn't think any harder on the topic because a large student suddenly knocked him over.

"Hey watch out, vomit boy. You're blocking the way." At six foot one, Jaune was by no means short, but this newcomer was at least a head taller. The height difference really contributed to his demeaning way of speaking and overall attitude that just immediately screamed "bully". Jaune of all people would know what one looked like.

He stood back up. "Um, sorry about that. I'll watch where I'm going next time." He was rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh, so you think you can just run into me and get away with it. Is that it?" He leaned closer to Jaune.

"Look I don't want any trouble-"

"Clearly you don't know who I am. Cardin Winchester and soon to be famous huntsmen." He smirked and held out his hand for a shake. Against Jaune's better judgement he took the handshake. Then he immediately winced at Cardin's strong grip.

"Have a name, vomit boy? Should I just call you that? How about pipsqueak?" Cardin's grip tightened by the second.

"J-J-Jaune Arc!" His face was becoming red from the strain. Cardin decided to laugh and let go of his hand. Then he put his arm over Jaune's shoulder. "Well Jauney-boy you're very lucky."

"I-I am?" Jaune asked with uncertainty.

"Yep. You're lucky that you met me so that I can tell how how things are gonna be around here. Just in case there's any confusion. First, stay out of my way during the initiation or I'll flatten your patsy ass and use you as grim bait."

"Uh, okay. Anything else?" Jaune grimaced.

"Yeah." Cardin shoved Jaune on the ground and put his boot on Jaune's chest. "Stay on the ground until I'm in the building." Cardin snickered.

"No wait-get off me." Jaune was struggling.

"Oh you're talking back now. What did I just tell you?" Cardin sneered.

Jaune was still struggling to pry the weight off of him to no avail. Things looked bad for him until the weight suddenly disappeared. Jaune looked up and saw that Cardin had stumbled back and barely caught himself. Jaune looked up to see who pushed Cardin and saw a literal amazon standing over him. At least the tall, well defined red head looked that way while clad in Mistrallian armor.

"I detest bullying...Cardin was it?" The new girl spoke properly.

"Freaking typical. Stay out of this 'invincible girl' or else." Cardin sneered.

"Care to back that up?" She challenged.

For a moment it looked like Cardin was going to pounce but he clearly had some sense and began to walk away. "You better watch yourself. Both of you." He warned.

_'Did that seriously just happen_?'Jaune thought.

The girl reached her hand out. "Are you ok?" She asked.

"Oh huh-" instead of taking the hand, Jaune shot up and put on a confident smile. "Great! I mean I had him where I wanted him, but thanks for the assist." Jaune was clearly trying to bolster himself with false bravado.

"Of course. Usually I would never instigate a fight, but I couldn't stand the way he was acting. I'm sorry you've had such a rough first day." The girl spoke sincerely.

"I mean, ya know how it is...the first days are the hardest...right?" He hoped that was the case.

"Sadly, I don't think that's the last you'll see of him" she responded.

"Well he better stay away if he knows what good for him." Jaune posed with his fists on his hips.

She smirked at that. "Really?"

"...Yeah, no. Is it that obvious that I'm out of my depth here?" He slouched over defeatedly.

"Well...I mean...um...I'm sure you'll do fine." She was clearly trying to phrase that as nice as she could.

"Just my luck. Anyway, the name's Jaune Arc. Smooth, simple, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." Jaune claimed.

The girl chuckled a little. "Do they?"

"...No. So what's your name?" He asked.

"You mean...wait you don't know who I am?" She questioned.

"Should I?" Jaune was indeed clueless.

"Well, I suppose not. My name is Pyrrha Nikos."

"Cool. So Pyrrha, and just know that this is an important question: where are we supposed to go?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha chuckled again. " Ithink we can find our way."

Jaune nodded. "Well then, ladies first."

———————————————————————

**Meanwhile**

During the time the jock was protecting the nerd from the bully, Ruby and Yang were exploring Beacon's grounds. Yang's original plan was to let her antisocial sister out into the wild, but she didn't spy enough friends here to have an excuse to leave. Which to Yang wasn't a big deal, she just wished her sister would be more interested in people than weapons. Speaking of which...

"Now that's a katana! Do you see how big that sword is Yang? I wonder what type of gun it is?" Ruby questioned excitedly.

"Y'know Rubes, not every weapon has to be a gun right?" She asked her sister.

"Do people really make weapons without guns on them?! Well now that I think about it, it'd be really cool if it could turn into a bow or something...but that's kind of impractical don't you think?"

"How big is that sniper scythe?" Yang sarcastically asked.

"Good point, but my baby is perfect the way she is!" Ruby took her folded weapon out and was caressing it.

"See that's what I'm talking about Ruby. There are people attached to these weapons. Why are you just hanging off of me. Go out and meet some cute boy or… anybody really." Yang said.

" C'mon Yang, weapons are so much easier to understand than people. With weapons you can design them, clean them, and take them apart when they aren't functioning properly. It's just efficient." Ruby stated obviously.

'_Note to self: sleep away from Ruby tonight_.' Yang was a little off put by Ruby's comment, but honestly she was used to her sister's quirks. "All I'm saying is that this is a new environment, a new start for both of us. We can get away from all the bad stigma and make a good impression here. Don't you want that, sis?"

"It's not that easy, Yang. Plus like I said earlier, I don't want to be the 'bee's knees' or whatever. I don't want to be popular. If I do make friends, I want them to be real. Like Blake, or maybe even… Weiss?!" Ruby eyes widened in suprise.

"The ice queen again? Look Ruby, she's in Atlas so I highly doubt that-"

"Weiss!" Ruby sped off.

"Ruby! What the...did I just put my foot in my mouth?" Yang exasperatedly questioned.

Weiss Schnee was currently pulling a trolley of suitcases. Too bad she couldn't bring any "aides" with her to help. _'Oh no one offer any_ _help. Just an_ _heiress here forced to carry her own luggage_. _Unbelievable_.' Weiss thought snidely.

"Weiss!" She turned at her name being called. "Wait, there's no way that's-AWW!" A red blur slammed into Weiss and they both went down.

_'Nooooo. This can't be happening_.' Weiss recognized the figure.

"Oh my gosh, Weiss! I can't believe you're here! I thought you'd go to a school in Atlas. Who knew we'd both go to Beacon, eh?" Ruby seemed pretty happy to see the girl that helped her track down her sister a year ago. Weiss on the other hand wanted to wake up from what she thought was a nightmare.

"Get off of me, you dolt!" Weiss screeched.

Ruby backed off. "Whoops. Sorry Weiss. I just haven't seen you in a while and you didn't return any of my calls and so I just got excited and..." Ruby began trailing off about this and that.

Weiss dusted herself off and narrowed her eyes. "First off. What are you even doing here? You're too young to enroll at Beacon." Weiss pointed her finger accusingly at Ruby.

"Oh. Well about that, I kinda got in two years earlier." Ruby twiddled her fingers nervously.

'_Are you kidding me?! This ball of sugar gets special treatment while the SDC's own heiress has to wait like everyone else!'_ Weiss thought indignantly.

"Ruby, there you are!" Yang finally made it over. "Oh! Well look at that; the ice queen is real. Wow, she's just like how you described her. Icy glare and all. I thought that was just a breeze going by."

"Excuse me?!" Weiss understood Yang's joke.

"Oh, Weiss! This is my sister Yang! Thanks again for helping me find her!" Ruby exclaimed with a big grin.

"I really don't see the resemblance. Look, that's great news and all, but you can't just run into people simply because you're excited. It's rude." Weiss explained as if she was scolding a child. In this case she kind of was.

"Oh right, sorry about that. So what have you been up to? Also, why are you at Beacon? We should catch up. I've got so many things to ask you." Yang took notice that Ruby seemed genuinely excited around another person.

"No thank you. I don't see why my personal life is any of your business. If you'll excuse me, you might have just caused me to be late to my first day at Beacon." Weiss turned to walk away.

"Hold on, Weiss! What's the hurry? We haven't seen each other in a year, so of course I'd want to know what's up." Ruby pleaded with her to not leave so quickly.

Weiss stopped walking to look back at Ruby. "Last time I checked, I owed you a debt and that is repaid. Our business is concluded."

"There's no need for the attitude, ice queen." Yang already didn't like Weiss.

"Enough with the nicknames! Do you even know who you're addressing so rudely?!"

"A royal pain called ice. I don't care what your last name is. You be nice to my sister or you answer to me, got it?" Yang declared.

"Yang! Stop it you're making this worse!" Ruby said.

"You brute! You can both enjoy each other's company while I'll be busy going to the top." Weiss started her trolley away.

"Wait, Weiss! She didn't mean it. Yang can just get a little defensive is all." Ruby didn't want Weiss to leave.

"What part of, 'our business is concluded' do you not understand? You got what you wanted, and I fulfilled my duty as a Schnee by repaying a debt. That. Is. All. I don't need silly little girls with suicidal tendencies to drag me down. Stay out of my way." On that note, Weiss walked away with all her luggage.

Ruby simply stood there with a defeated expression on her face. Yang walked beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for trying to throw me under the bus there, Ruby. Listen, people like that aren't worth the trouble. Seriously, of all people, why would that be the girl that you would never shut up about?"

"I just thought that...well I thought that I made a friend. I thought she saw me." Ruby quietly replied.

"You only saw what you wanted to see. Come on, the other students are probably gathering right now." Yang led Ruby away as she pulled her hood over her head.

———————————————————————

"So you have six sisters?!" Pyrrha questioned.

"Seven if you count a sister-in-law, but yes. So being the only male Arc, I've got a lot of shoes to fill. No pressure." Jaune answered with a discouraging chuckle.

"I'm sure you'll do them proud. Why else would you come to Beacon?" She asked rhetorically.

"Yeah. Why else would I be here?" Jaune asked himself.

"Come on, Ren! Let's move it!" A shrill voice declared as two figures knocked Jaune over for what was the third time today. They were moving so fast that an attempt at conversation was impossible.

"Oh my goodness! Are you ok, Jaune?" Pyrrha helped him up again.

" Well my confidence is a little damaged. Don't worry; my face took most of the fall." Jaune tried to laugh the pain away.

"That's a nasty bruise. Wait. Why isn't it healing?" Pyrrha asked.

"It is. Should be gone by tomorrow." Jaune looked confused by her question.

"No, I mean with your aura."

"My what now?" Jaune asked. He became more confused the more she talked.

"You're joking, right?"

An intercom interrupted them. "Students please report to the main hall for orientation. I repeat: students must report to the main hall for orientation."

"Crap! We're gonna be late!" Jaune did his best to run alongside Pyrrha, but had trouble matching her pace. By the time they arrived, Jaune was winded.

———————————————————————

**The next day**

After orientation, a speech from Headmaster Ozpin, and a good night's rest it was now the day of the big test. As usual however, Jaune Arc was completely unprepared.

"Why would they number the lockers like this? Gah, this is ridiculous. I can't find my gear anywhere." Jaune was trying to find his sword and shield to no avail. Everyone else was chatting about the test including Jaune's new friend Pyrrha and the Schnee heiress.

_'Ok Jaune. Be cool, be cool.'_ Jaune walked up to them.

"Yeah, Pyrrha. Long time no see. Who's your new friend?" He winked at Weiss in the most underwhelming way possible.

_'Ew.'_ Weiss thought. She rolled her eyes. "Hm. Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

"That's cool. Listen, with that big title you must be having a hard time with a bunch of weirdos trying to pick you up for their team. Lucky for you, I got a limited time only offer to join team Jaune just for you. Good news, huh?"

"Well, you're right about one thing." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Is that a yes?" Jaune's eyes lit up.

"No."

"Aw, come on snow angel. Pyrrha is on team Jaune. Aren't you, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked.

"Sure." Pyrrha simply smiled and nodded. Not sure what else to say.

"Oh, look at that. Spots are running out fast." Jaune directed back to Weiss.

"Hold on. How do you two know each other?" Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"I swept poor Pyrrha here off her feet." Jaune lied.

"...Sure." Pyrrha was too nice.

"I highly doubt that." Weiss wasn't impressed. " Do you even know who this is?" She gestured to Pyrrha.

"She's Pyrrha, first official member of Team Jaune. I thought we covered this already." Jaune stated.

"She graduated top of her class at Sanctum." Weiss explained.

"At where?"

"Here's a hint: Did you have cereal this morning?" Weiss clued. She assumed this idiot eats unhealthy cereal.

"Actually, no, I should've but I'm nervous about the test and all. Thank you for asking." Jaune winked again.

"Okay, I'm done here. Sorry, Pyrrha. You are on your own with this mess." Weiss walked away.

Jaune turned to Pyrrha. "I think I handled that well."

Pyrrha only smiled. "We should probably get ready."

"I would, but I can't find my locker. I mean, who organized this?" Jaune slapped the map he was holding.

"Let me help." Pyrrha took the map and looked at it. After a moment, she turned it upright and handed it back to Jaune.

"Oh. Thank you. I'll just get my stuff now before I embarrass myself more." Jaune nearly tripped as he was walking away.

———————————————————————

**Later**

Jaune Arc was currently falling through the air. The test took place in the Emerald Forest and the Headmaster thought it would be a great idea to catapult his students into the Grimm-infested forest. Jaune contemplated this as he was screaming and flailing through the air; not a good landing strategy.

_'Why am I even here_?!' Jaune screamed internally. He had only been here for two days and it was already clear that he didn't belong. That brought his mind back to the moment that sent his life on this course.

**-One Year Ago-**

Jaune Arc, now 16, arrived at his home that evening. "Wow, what a long day. Mom! I'm home!" Jaune looked around after nobody answered his call. "Hello?" He went into the kitchen and saw that no one was there.

"Looks like mom and everyone else decided to go out. Without inviting me. That's fine." Jaune looked around and started twiddling his fingers on the table. " Mmmm." He began walking into the living room to find something to occupy himself with until the others got back.

"What's a growing boy supposed to do while home alone?" Jaune pondered.

"Hopefully he could be mindful of his guest." A voice spoke.

Jaune screamed and jumped behind his couch to hide. "Take whatever you want just nothing from my room!" He tried to plea with the voice.

"I'm afraid Mr. Arc, that I have no interest in a teenage boy's bedroom. Please stop that. I can see your feet." Jaune looked up to see a white haired bespectacled male with a cane casually sitting in a recliner.

"Well, if you're not here to rob us then...why? I mean, why are you here in my house just sitting there waiting for me to come home?" Jaune questioned.

"Take a seat, Mr. Arc." The man responded.

"Actually, you're sitting in my seat." Jaune saw the man wasn't moving. "That's fine. I'll just take the couch." Jaune sat almost begrudgingly on the couch.

"Now to answer your question, Mr. Arc. I am Professor Ozpin and I am here to talk to you about your transcript to Beacon Academy." Ozpin brought out a scroll.

"Oh uh. W-what seems to be the problem?" Jaune asked nervously.

"No problem at all. Just here to verify a few errors. Now your name is Jaune Arc correct?"

"Uh, yes sir." Jaune confirmed.

"Oh good. We wanted to make sure it wasn't John Arc. Sorry about that. Yellow? It pairs well with your hair I suppose." Ozpin commented on the meaning of Jaune's name.

"Yeah, well everyone thought that was funny. Is that all, sir?"

"Actually there is another matter. It says here that you graduated from Signal Academy this year. Is that correct?" Ozpin asked.

"Yep. If that's what it says then it can't be wrong." Jaune replied.

"Hmmmm. You are not a very good liar, Mr. Arc. I recommend that you not take up that vice."

"Sir?" Jaune was still trying to play dumb.

"Signal has no record of attendance for a Jaune Arc. I'll give you credit, however, this false sheet almost got past us. Upon further inspection however, this 'official' document is simply a sham. Are you aware of the consequences of your actions, Jaune Arc?"

"...Yes, sir." Jaune couldn't look Ozpin in the eyes.

"Then why?" Ozpin questioned.

"Why what, sir?"

"Why would a boy with no prior training want to become a hunter? Even if you weren't caught, the alternative of actaully attending this school would be dangerous for someone like you. You would be an outsider, every single day would be a struggle, and if the worst happens, you would die. So why, Jaune Arc, did you fake a transcript to attend a school where you don't belong?" Ozpin interrogated. He leaned forward on his cane gazed into Jaune's eyes with his ominous stare.

Jaune couldn't find the answer for that. He sat there for at least a minute as Ozpin patiently waited for an answer.

"I want to be a hero." Jaune finally spoke. Ozpin stared at him internally asking for more.

"I've never been any body my whole life. Which is pathetic for a man in the Arc family. Everyone could see from day one that I wasn't cut out to become a hunter and bringing the family honor or whatever. Everyone wrote me off as a nobody; I never even had a choice. I wasn't allowed to go to Signal because it would be too 'dangerous' for me. I never got a shot to train or even study how to fight. Then, one day I woke up and decided that I wanted to be different. That I didn't what to be a loser anymore. I just wanted a chance, Professor Ozpin." Jaune wiped a tear from his eye.

"I see." Ozpin stood up from the chair. Instead of walking out of the door he turned towards the wall.

"This is a lovely antique. Looks like a relic from the old war." Ozpin commented on the sword and shield from the wall.

Jaune was taken aback, but he decided to tell Ozpin the name. "Yeah it was my grandfather's. It's called Croceas Mors."

"Interesting. You know, there is a statue in the courtyard of my school depicting a hunter with a similar sword." Ozpin mused.

"Wait! You're the headmaster!" Jaune stood up.

"Yes. You will come to learn that I am a very hands-on headmaster, Mr Arc."

"Uh, what do you mean, Sir?" Jaune questioned.

"Not very observant are you. Don't worry we will train you to be otherwise. We can also help you with your other problems."

"Professor Ozpin, I thought I wasn't going to Beacon. Not with phoney papers at least." Jaune questioned.

"Phoney papers? I thought we already fixed the mistake on your transcript. Your name is 'Jaune' not John and you attended Signal. I don't see why you would not be qualified to train at my school."

"Sir, why are you doing this?" Jaune asked.

"You wanted a chance, Mr. Arc. I'm giving you one. As they say, 'don't blow it'. Who knows, maybe someday you will have your own statue depicting you wielding Croceas Mors. 'Jaune Arc of Beacon'… that would make quite the underdog story." On that note, Ozpin made his way towards the door.

"I'll see you next year, Mr. Arc."

———————————————————————

Now we return to present day as Jaune is falling to his death. He squeezed his eyes shut to await the plummet until a javelin knocked him off course and pinned him by his hoodie to a nearby tree.

"I'm sorry, Jaune!" He heard Pyrrha call to him.

"It's okay!" He shouted back.

Jaune attempted to pry the speartip away from his clothing. He struggled and groaned but his attempt was unsuccessful.

_'Maybe I should've stayed home_.' Jaune thought.

He heard a tree branch crack and looked down to see Weiss had emerged from the forest.

"Weiss! Oh it's so good that you're here. Can you help me down?" Jaune asked. All Weiss did was stare at him before walking the opposite direction.

"No, no, wait!...uuuuuuhhhhhhh." Jaune groaned.

"Am I still on team Jaune?" Jaune looked down to find Pryhha smirking up at him.

"Very funny." Jaune lamented.

———————————————————————

**Meanwhile**

Ruby sprinted through the forest at superspeed trying to find anyone to be her partner.

'_Okay! Professor Ozpin said that the first person we see would be our partner! Then I gotta find Yang! Oh, but what if I don't? Maybe Blake is here! Oh, but I didn't see her last night. Then again, she might have just been hiding. That's so like her. At this rate, who knows who I'll run into.'_ Ruby thought.

As if on cue, she immediately ran into a white figure and both of them tumbled onto the ground.

"Are you kidding me?! Get off!" Ruby stood up at Weiss's command.

"Are you kidding me?" She repeated. "Three times. Three times! Why can't you ever watch where your going?!"

"Sorry! I do. It's just a little hard to stop when I get excited." Ruby wasn't ready to meet Weiss again.

"I thought I made our arrangement clear yesterday. Leave me alone." Weiss turned to walk away.

"Hold on, wait!" Ruby walked with Weiss. "According to what Ozpin said, we're partners now. So I can't do that!"

"You did this on purpose, didn't you." Weiss stomped her foot childishly.

"Why would I want a partner who does nothing but scream at me?" Ruby argued.

"I don't have time for this." Weiss continued walking without Ruby. Then she stopped.

_'...it could be worse_.' She remembered Jaune. _'At least_ _I know she's good in a fight...plus...she's_...'

"...we have to hurry or we'll be left behind." Weiss continued to strut. Ruby smiled and followed along.

——————————————————————-

**One year ago**

After Ozpin exited the Arc household, he went back to his limousine parked out front of the house. "Well I believe our business here has concluded, Miss Goodwitch. Turns out it was just a misunderstanding."

Glynda Goodwitch sat across from Ozpin. "Are you sure about that, sir?"

"I have faith that the boy can pull through." He replied.

"I hope you're right, sir. Also, you have a call from that old crow." Glynda said, almost with a distaste to in her mouth.

"Oh? And?"

"It's as you said, sir. Miss Rose has run. Qrow did as you asked of him and let her go. I don't understand why you would advise him to let a little girl go off into danger like that." Glynda questioned.

"You and I both know she is far from normal. Miss Rose will grow from her experience. She may even make some friends along the way." Ozpin explained with smirk.

"Other potential candidates?" Glynda turned her head.

"Perhaps." Ozpin adjusted his glasses as he responded.

"That reminds me. I have the files you asked for on Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. It seems Miss Valkyrie has been raised in Mister Ren's family ever since they survived a mass grim attack on their settlement years ago. The village has long rebuilt since the encounter and the two remain as quite the odd pair." Glynda sent the information to his scroll.

"Excellent. I have a feeling that next year at Beacon will be quite extraordinary."

———————————————————————

**A/N: **

**Next time: Heart of Darkness**


	7. HeartofDarkness

The emerald forest was truly beautiful this time of year. The trees were covered in lively green leaves that gave the entire area a magical aura. From afar, that is what this forest was; something beautiful to gaze upon. However, much like the rest of Remnant, this forest holds a speck of darkness to taint the bright visage. The creatures of grimm roamed this forest like the inhuman sentinels that they are because there was something inherently wrong with this place. Currently our heroes have to overcome other challenges before they face their fears...like working together.

"Weiss, that's the fourth time we've past this tree." Ruby insisted to her partner.

"How could you possibly know that? They all look the same!" Weiss rebuked.

"Exactly! That's why I know we're lost!" Ruby exclaimed with her hands. They had been wandering the forest looking for the relics they were suppose to collect to pass the test for who knows how long at this point. Things weren't going their way.

"I know exactly where we are!" Weiss insisted.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes! Unlike you I have an eye for attention." Weiss huffed crossing her arms.

"You don't have to be a genius to see that all the leaves are green! If we find an obvious marker like a red tree I'll let you know!" Ruby gestured to her red hood. "There's no finer detail to pick apart. Just admit we're lost."

"We are not lost." Weiss scowled.

"You know, you aren't making this partnership thing easy." Ruby grumbled.

"It would go along much more smoothly if you simply did as you were told." Weiss said.

"Excuse me?!"

"I don't believe I stuttered." Weiss appeared almost proud of her comment.

"Ok, time out princess." Ruby did the motion with her hands. "We are a team. I am not one of your thirty butlers."

"We do not have thirty." Weiss corrected.

"I'm a little concerned you didn't give me a number there. Anyway, I don't get why you're acting so uptight, but you don't have to put on that act with me. When we actually worked together we just clicked," she snapped her fingers and continued talking "like that so all we have to do is trust each other again." Ruby explained.

Weiss sighed. "I believe I owe you an apology."

"It's fine you-"

"Do not interrupt me. I apologize for giving you a false impression. Whatever you want from me Ruby, to be your friend, I can not give you that." Weiss explained as clear as she possibly could.

"I...I don't understand." Ruby looked hurt by that comment.

"I suppose I owe you some explanation. You do know what the Schnee Dust Company is, right?" Weiss questioned.

"I guess." Ruby shrugged.

"Then, you know that a Schnee is currently not running it. Some see this as a good thing, but for my family's legacy, for my legacy, it is an upfront."

"Ok I could be wrong here, but I thought there was a Schnee in charge." Ruby wracked her brain.

"Technically my sister is the CEO. However, that is merely on paper. I guess I should speak more candidly to get my point across. My sister watches the company; she doesn't run it. She makes decisions once in awhile to make it seem like she is invested, but she mostly leaves it to the board of directors. They use it to finance their own self interest while my sister serves General Ironwood, and essentially gives him access to all of our resources. Do you see where I am going with this?" Weiss inquired.

"Yes...no what?" Ruby questioned.

Weiss pinched her nose. " Winter, my sister, has the SDC, and the General has my sister. The military is what runs the SDC and therefore runs Atlas. I can not allow that to continue."

"Alright I think I understand now, but what does that have to do with you?" Ruby asked.

"I want to become a huntress and I will, but after I have received enough standing, I will return and claim what is mine. I believe that Winter truly thinks that what she's doing is right, but I have my doubts about Ironwood."

"What does this have to do with me?" Ruby felt nervous.

"Nothing. I'm just explaining why I can't be tied to you. I'm trying to become strong so that I can fulfill my ambitions. If that means walking the path to isolation then I will. There is no room for anyone else. You are just an asset." Weiss explained.

Ruby had no response to that. She just looked away from Weiss. She hid her expression.

Weiss took a breath to clear her nerves. "If that is all, then we should get moving. Let's go this way." Weiss led the way into the forest with Ruby keeping a distance behind her.

_'It's unfair. This is why I didn't want to see Ruby again. How do you tell someone who has helped you that they have to stay away. Well I suppose I just did. I guess Ruby will simply remain as the girl out of reach. Focus Weiss. You have a test to finish.'_

Weiss monologued.

————————————————————-

**The launch pads**

Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Gooodwitch were monitoring the test with their scrolls. There were cameras hidden throughout the forest and drones flying overhead to give a bird's eye view. They were simply monitoring the students of their progress and routing out any foul play. If something were to happen they would react, but give the students a chance first; this was a test after all.

Glynda pushed her glasses up. "It appears that Miss Rose and Miss Schnee are still adjusting to their new situation. I'm not sure they can handle it."

"Is that doubt I hear, Miss Goodwitch?" Ozpin teased.

"Of course not, sir. However, as I've stated previously, Miss Rose is a complete wild card. Considering she is two years behind, she must progress much faster than the other students." Glynda stated.

"I agree. Although there is a chance that those she associates herself with will grow as well." Ozpin spoke knowingly.

"What do you mean?"

"Just call it a hunch, but enough about that. What else do you see?" Ozpin asked.

Goodwitch looked at her scroll. "Well that's not the only special candidate of yours having trouble. Mr. Arc can't even walk through the forest without somehow stumbling into danger. He's extremely lucky to have gained Pyrrha Nikos as a partner. Let's hope she does not become that boy's crutch."

"That's interesting. Anything else noticeable?"

"It might be too on purpose to be a coincidence, but Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie have reunited to become partners. Honestly, they are quite the odd pair. Technically being foster siblings may have established a bond." Glynda observed.

"Mmmm." Ozpin seemed distracted.

"Sir?" Glynda noticed that Ozpin was distracted.

"Oh. Sorry, Glynda. Yes, they make quite the pair."

"Is there something on your mind?" Glynda asked.

"It's just that... Do you not feel that?" Ozpin questioned.

"What am I supposed to be feeling?" Glynda asked. Ozpin looked nervous and that made her uneasy.

"I've been having these… feelings, or visions; something that feels like a seeping dread." Ozpin glared into the sky as if he was looking for answers.

"If I'm not mistaken, you have been having these 'feelings' all year. Why is this different?" Glynda questioned.

"It feels... closer to home." Ozpin replied.

"Should we call off the test?" If Ozpin was nervous that made Glynda nervous.

"That would be unnecessary, and maybe even difficult with everyone scattered to the wind. Let us simply witness what may yet unfold." Ozpin steadied himself.

"...if you think so, Sir." Glynda trusted Ozpin's judgement, but tabled the conversation for later.

"It seems that Miss Xiao Long will meet her partner." Ozpin stated. "How exciting."

—————————————————————

**Emerald forest- Yang**

"Incoming!" Yang yelled as she blasted her gauntlet-clad fist into the head of a Beowolf. It was sent careening into a tree. An echoing crack travelled throughout the forest. Two more Beowolves had fallen behind her; both slain. Yang got in a boxing stance and smirked confidently. She then whistled as though calling for them.

It worked as they both charged at her. Yang propelled herself to the left Beowolf and smashed a fist into it's knee. It fell to the ground as she switched targets. She began dodging swipes until she uppercut then double punched the stomach with dust to send it back. She crouched as the Beowolf behind her was up again to take a swing. Yang grabbed its other arm then began to twist until she heard the arm snap and the creature cry in pain.

Yang tossed it to the ground, but dodged to avoid a Boarbatusk as it roared past her. The dark pig reared back around for another charge, but this time Yang was prepared and grabbed its tusks. There was a brief struggle as the boar started to push her back, but Yang gritted her teeth and walked forward. When the Boarbatusk was forced up onto its hind legs, Yang punched a tusk off and stabbed it into the beast. In that moment, another Beowolf snatched her arm into its jaw.

"Argh!" Yang cried out as she was struggling with the Grimm. She instinctively began punching at its face. "Get! Off! Of! Me! Now!" Each word punctuated with a blow. The Grimm reared back in pain and Yang shot dust down its throat. The grimm was seemingly choking on the fire before it fell down. Yang turned at the roar of the last Beowulf with the broken arm that was charging at her on its hind legs.

Yang's eyes burned a furious red as she charged forward to unleash a barrage of punches on the grimm. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!" The volley of punches pushed the creature back as its body was breaking from the force of her blows. Each strike destroying the dark creature.

"ORA!!!" A final haymaker sent the Beowulf into the already fallen one at the tree and they both exploded into a mess of black smoke. The other slain grimm began to fade as well. Yang took a breath and her eyes changed back to lilac.

"Well, that was fun." She slapped the dirt off her hands. Yang stopped as she heard a rustling in the woods. Something else was coming.

"Oh? You're approaching me?" Yang posed. "Instead of running away you're coming right to me?" She challenged.

"I have to get closer to you, Yang." A voice rang out.

"Oh ho! Then come as close as you like!" Yang replied confidently.

Blake stepped out of the woods. "What's with the dramatics? You knew that it was me." Blake rolled her eyes.

"I mean I kind of assumed. You are definitely a sneaky kitty." Yang teased.

"Cut that out." Blake commanded.

"Sorry. I actually didn't know you were here. I looked all around yesterday in case you changed your mind, but you weren't there." Yang said.

"That's a long story. Since we're partners now, we should probably get moving, right?" Blake was already walking.

"Well now that I've been hypnotized, I gotta follow." Yang put her hands behind her head and started walking.

"Hypnotized?" Blake quirked a brow.

"With those hypnotizing hips of yours. Seriously, are you walking like that on purpose?" Yang smirked.

Blake's ears perked up as she frowned. "That's it. You take the front."

"All right. You can look I don't mind." Yang teased.

"Yang!"

"I'm only kidding! C'mon, I'm just happy is all. I didn't know you were coming. Pretty typical of you to just show up out of nowhere." Yang stated.

"It was a last minute change of heart. I don't feel comfortable talking about it here. They're watching us after all." Blake stated as though it was obvious.

"Eh?!" Yang flinched. "That's so creepy! Wait. How do you know?"

"I kind of assumed." Blake parroted Yang.

"Alright. Then let's go put on a show." Yang smirked.

————————————————————-

**Meanwhile**

"So I got a question," said Jaune Arc.

"Ask away." Pyrrha could tell Jaune was struggling and was willing to help him with anything he needed.

"Why is it called 'The Emerald forest'?"

"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha a continued to overestimate Jaune.

"I mean, all the leaves are green I get that, but so is every other forest. So, why is this called 'The Emerald Forest'?"Jaune adopted a thinking posture. His thumb and forefinger placed beneath his chin.

"I honestly don't know. Maybe it's because they are emerald green? Like the shading is different?" Pyrrha did her best to come up with an explanation.

"Yeah, during summer most forests are green. Wait. Does this place just stay green all year round? That doesn't make any sense." Jaune muttered, now talking to himself.

"You do know there are bigger issues to be concerned with right, Jaune?" Pyrrha questioned. Jaune wasn't paying attention. She could tell he was simply occupying his mind to cope, but he can't wander around a Grimm-infested forest like a ditzy blonde. She needed him to focus.

So, Pyrrha tripped him. "Agh!" Jaune fell comically on his face. He sat back up. "Why? Just why?!"

"You aren't focused. If I tripped you so easily then who is to say a Beowulf won't burst out of the brush and snatch your head in its maw." Pyrrha clapped her hands to simulate this and the sharp noise made Jaune tense up.

"As your partner I'm responsible for you, but that goes both ways. Can I count on you, Jaune?" Pyrrha reached her hand out towards him.

Jaune's initial reaction was to say no. Then, he thought about it and looked up at Pyrrha. He was captivated. Not by her figure, but by her eyes. She looked at him like no one else ever had. He couldn't bring himself to disappoint her.

"Yeah." Jaune took her hand. "I think I've fallen down more the past two days then I have in like… a month?"

"Well, I'll make sure to pick you back up," Pyrrha smiled.

"Thanks," Jaune scratched his head. "Sooooo do you know where to go?"

"Not a clue." She answered honestly.

"Mmmm... if I was a relic where would I hide?" Jaune turned to look around the area and spotted a conveniently suspicious cave entrance. "Okay, that's a dead giveaway."

"Are you sure about this?" Pyrrha questioned.

"I've seen plenty of Spruce Willis movies to know that there's always a hidden relic inside of dark, spooky caves. Usually they're also booby trapped and crawling with hideous and disgusting monsters, but you've got my back, right?"

Pyrrha smiled. "Of course."

"Cool. So uh do you have a torch?" Jaune asked nervously.

—————————————————————

**At the center of the Emerald forest**

A black katana tore into a Beowulf as a fight came to a close. Blake withdrew Gambol Shroud, then threw the blade portion towards Yang. They both charged forward to trip a charging Beowulf with a clothesline maneuver. Yang stabbed the beast while it was down with the blade and launched it with a powered fist at a nearby boarbatusk. Blake then recalled her weapon as the corpse faded into nothingness.

"Ha! That was awesome! Float like a butterfly, sting like a bumblebee!" Yang exclaimed.

"'Bumblebee'? Isn't that the name of your motorcycle?" Blake questioned.

"Oh, yeah. May have to work on that."

"Pardon?"

"Our team name, of course!" Yang stated as though it was obvious.

"We can't exactly make a team name without knowing the other members." Blake already started walking again.

"Pfft. Killjoy." Yang followed closely behind. The pair eventually made it to the abandoned temple where chess pieces were stationed on pedestals.

"Do you suppose these are the 'relics'?" Blake inquired. She examined the pieces closely.

"I think it's a good guess. Now let's see…" Yang approached the board. "How about a pretty pony?" Yang picked up the white knight piece.

"Charming." Blake smiled.

"Oh! Selfie!" Suddenly Yang was beside Blake as she snapped a selfie of them with her scroll.

"Nyah!" The motion surprised Blake.

Yang looked at the new photo. "Aw, I was hoping to catch that smile. Maybe one day. What do you think?" Yang showed it to Blake. In it showed a smiling Yang with her arm around a surprised and open mouthed Blake.

"Delete that right now." Blake deadpanned.

"Relax. I'm not gonna post it." Yang waved her off.

"Yang." Blake said warningly.

"Just let me have this. I got tons of pictures of Ruby and I, but this is the first time you've let me take one of you."

"It's……..embarrassing." Blake admitted.

"Nah, you're just shy. You'll get over it." Yang smirked.

"Whatever you say. Should we head back?" Blake questioned.

"Actually, call me overprotective, but I wanna see if Ruby will make it here." Yang leaned against the board.

"What if she already got here and left?" Blake inquired.

"Well it's not like we're being timed or anything. Are we? Eh whatever. Besides we could use a break." Yang motioned for Blake to take a seat. Considering there was nowhere to sit Blake elected to stand.

"Alright, but only for a few minutes." Blake folded her arms in protest.

As the two stood there in silence for a solid minute, Yang began to fidget. She was used to Blake's quiet moments since they occurred quite often. The few times they had to stake out the Black Bulls or even the White Fang, Blake would simply read a hardcover book she brought with her and leave Yang to her own devices. Most of the time, it was a comfortable silence but Yang had something on her mind.

"Why did you change your mind?" Yang asked.

"About?" Blake wasn't looking at her.

"Come on Blake, you said you weren't going to follow behind no matter how many times I begged, pleaded, or bribed-

"Bribed with yarn." Blake interrupted.

"That was just a joke. It was funny. Anyway, now you're here." Yang finished.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Blake asked.

"Well yeah, but you didn't come here just because I asked. You would have told me otherwise." Yang completely forget that Blake came to Beacon without telling her in the first place so her point seemed invalid.

Blake chose not to point this out. "Like I said, it was a last minute change of heart. Why are you so focused on this?" Blake asked defensively.

"Why are you avoiding this? If something's up you gotta tell me, Blake. We've had this talk before; I'm already involved." Yang recalled upon a previous conversation.

Blake signed. "Ozpin didn't just see Ruby. He spoke to me as well."

"And?" Yang wanted to know more.

"It was about……...certain things I can't go into detail about. What I can tell you right now is that the Black Bulls know where I am and they are out to get me. I thought with your help, I could fight them off. I was tired of being the victim. Now I realize that they won't stop hunting me." Blake explained.

"So you went to Beacon to do what? Hide?"

"For now. That being said, Beacon has resources. Ozpin promised that when the time comes, he would help me end this." Blake spoke mysteriously. Actually she always spoke like that.

"Blake. Don't go doing something stupid." Yang warned.

Despite the mood, Blake couldn't help but smirk. "Look who's talking."

"Exactly. I know what it's like to be fixated on something. I get it. If you're not careful, you could end up somewhere you don't want to be." Yang remembered her hunt for the man in the black coat.

" I'll be fine." Blake reassured.

"Yeah, you will. That's because I'll be there. Ruby will want to help too." Yang pumped her fist up and smiled.

"I can't ask you both to do that." Blake frowned.

"You don't have to." Yang retorted.

"You don't owe me anything. Ruby especially. Whatever debt you think needs to be paid, it's long since been earned." Blake was referring to when she helped Ruby on her adventure. Initially, when Yang joined her she was under the impression it was for that reason.

"I didn't go kick ass with you just because you made friends with my little sister. I kick ass with you because you're my friend. Despite your distance, Ruby and I will help out with whoever needs a beating."

Externally, Blake didn't react to that. However the sentiment meant very much to her. "We can discuss this later. We've wasted enough time. We should start moving on."

"Would you relax? Nothing-" Yang was interrupted by a loud crash that echoed throughout the forest. It sounded like an explosion. It promptly made Yang and Blake jump in surprise.

"What the hell was that?!" Yang asked.

"It was definitely something bad. You just had to jinx us, eh?" Blake commented.

"Haha. Come on, let's go see."

"Why?"

"Why? Well knowing my little sister, she's definitely involved. Let's move it." Yang began running towards the direction of the noise with Blake following closely behind.

—————————————————————-

**Cave-10 minutes ago**

Pyrrha and Jaune had indeed found a torch(somehow) and were searching the cave system. It's what you would expect: a damp barren tunnel. Occasionally, the duo would hear the echo of their own footsteps. Jaune was carrying the torch.

"You know, I'm starting to think this wasn't the greatest idea." Jaune stated. He was starting to get tired of wandering around, guessing at each turn.

"Oh no. I was under the impression that this is how they do it in the movies." Pyrrha teased.

"Was that supposed to be sarcasm? That doesn't really suit you." Jaune continued walking. At least, until he tripped over a rock and dropped the torch. It quickly sizzled out on the damp cave floor.

"..."

"...Jaune?"

"Yeah I know. Oh boy. Ya got another one?" Jaune asked.

"Afraid not." Pyrrha replied.

"Great. Just great. Okay, hold my hand." Jaune extended his hand.

"What?!" Jaune could not see it, but Pyrrha was blushing.

"I can't see anything like this, if we're gonna get out of here, we need to know where each other are. So take my hand. Just until we get outta here." Jaune explained.

"...Well.. that certainly does make sense." Pyrrha felt around to grip tightly onto Jaune's hand.

"Ow!" Pyrrha was squeezing too hard.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha relaxes her handhold.

"It's cool. Just don't break it." Jaune breathed. "Here we go."

The pair continued forward hoping not to bump into a wall or fall into any bottomless pits. They could barely see a foot in front of them. The whole experience was nerve-racking and awfully claustrophobic. Regardless, they pressed onward; demonstrating great trust in each other. The echoing in the cave grew louder and more booming the further they went. They eventually arrived into a larger, enclosed space.

They stopped when they heard footsteps coming toward them. Jaune was frozen in sheer panic while Pyrrha drew her weapon with her free hand. They stood stoic as the noise continued towards them. Just when it was on top of them, Jaune screamed.

"AAAAGGHHH!!!"

"AAAAGGHHH!!!"

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH"

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH" Pyrrha screamed as well and swung her arm only to knock someone over.

"Ow!"

"Was that you, Jaune?!"

"No you dunce. It was-wait, Pyrrha?"

"Weiss?" Pyrrha asked.

"Snow angel?" Jaune asked.

"Snow angel?"

"Ugh! Jaune?" Weiss asked aggravated.

"...Uuuhhhh, Weiss?"

"What, Ruby?" Weiss questioned her forced partner.

"We should've brought a-"

"Yes, I know!" Weiss stomped her foot. Frustrated. " Hold on a minute." Weiss pulled out her rapier to create a circle of fire to illuminate the dark. Now the two unlikely pairs could see each other clearly. Ruby and Jaune felt nervous about the scenario; just meeting for the first time like this.

"Finally! I thought I would go blind in this place. I told you this was a stupid idea." Weiss flipped her ponytail.

"Wha-but this was your idea. I wanted to ride the Nevermore!" Ruby reminded.

"Wait, what?!" Jaune and Pyrrha both exclaimed.

"Well, it's a good thing it flew away from here. Maybe it won't come back." Weiss stated.

"There's a freaking Nevermore outside?!" Jaune panicked.

"Was. There was one. Are you even paying attention?" Weiss crossed her arms, aggravated.

"That's strange." Pyrrha wondered. "Most Grimm are territorial so why would it run away?"

"What matters is that it's gone now." Weiss ended the subject. There was an uncomfortable pause as Ruby and Jaune looked at each other. Weiss remembered they had never met. To her internal horror, they did.

Weiss signed. "Jaune, this is Ruby. Ruby, this is Jaune. Now you've met. I imagine you two will get along swimmingly." She stated with the most sarcasm she could muster. _'I can only imagine the_ _disasters these two will cause toge_ther.' She shivered at the thought.

Ruby and Jaune shook hands. "Nice to meet you." Ruby said politely.

"Same. This is my partner, Pyrrha." Jaune gestured to the girl.

"Hello." Pyrrha waved.

Ruby's eyes began to shine like stars. "No way! You were on the cover of the Pumpkin's Pete cereal box!"

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere! I love that cereal!" Jaune exclaimed to the now embarrassed Pyrrha.

"I gave you that hint this morning and it took you until now to figure it out?" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Jaune questioned.

"Argh. It was good to see you, Pyrrha. Come, Ruby. We must press on." Weiss commanded.

"Hold on. There's no reason we shouldn't travel together, right? Safety in numbers, remember?" Ruby replied.

"We move faster as a pair. Also, I want to be rid of this dungeon as soon as possible." Weiss started to walk away.

"Stop!" Ruby ordered. Weiss stopped and turned at Ruby's unexpected outburst. Jaune and Pyrrha immediately felt awkward as the air got colder from the mood.

"What is it now?" Weiss asked.

"First, you lead us in circles through the forest. Now, you lead us into a cave with no light or sense of direction." Ruby started.

"I know what I'm doing." Weiss quickly interrupted.

"No, you don't! This was a terrible idea!"

"I thought it was a good idea." Jaune mumbled to himself. Prryha shushed him.

"You don't feel that? This place.. It's…...something doesn't feel right." Ruby attempted to explain.

"That's your overactive imagination." Weiss shrugged her claim off. Ruby didn't want to go into the cave to begin with claiming it was dangerous. Weiss assumed Ruby was just afraid of the dark so she dragged her in.

"It's not my imagination. It's like... a feeling. My instincts are telling me we shouldn't be here." Ruby began to rub her arms like she was cold. Which was odd considering there was no draft.

"I have to agree with Ruby." Pyrrha spoke up. "If the relics really were here, we would've found them by now."

Weiss's face scrunched up in thought. "Fine. You lead the way then. Ruby, after we find the relics-"

"Well look what we have here, Russell." A voice spoke out.

The group turned to see Cardin and his partner Russel walk out of an entryway carrying torches.

"Oh, great." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"If it isn't Jauney-boy and the cereal queen." He turned to Weiss and Ruby. "Don't you think it's a little dangerous out here for little girls?"

"Buzz off, mongrel." Weiss ordered.

"Check out the Schnee snob, Russell. She should really learn her place, eh?" Cardin remarked with a grin.

"Bitch should really watch her mouth when talking to us." Russell responded.

"Excuse me?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Back off." Jaune stepped forward.

"Oh, you trying to act tough in front of the heiress? You want me to put you on the ground again?" Cardin walked towards Jaune.

His path was blocked by Pyrrha. "You heard him."

"That won't work this time 'invincibile girl'. There's no one around out here. No cameras to see anything and no one to stop us." Cardin grinned arrogantly. The man was completely driven by ego.

"Last. Chance." Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. She was not in the mood to put up with someone like Cardin.

"Hey, Cardin! The pipsqueak's shaking like a leaf. At least she knows better." Russel examined.

Weiss turned to look at Ruby and confusingly enough, she was visibly shaking. 'This is the same girl who had fought alongside me against an army of hostile robots. Is she really intimidated by these bullies? There must be another reason why she's clutching her red hood so forcefully.' Weiss thought to herself.

Weiss walked up to Ruby. "Ruby? What's wrong?" She placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby?" She shook the frightened girl. "Ruby?!" Weiss shook harder. Ruby looked up at Weiss; she was teary-eyed and too afraid to move.

"The cold. The cold is worse. It's getting closer." Ruby's body was shaking harder in fear.

"What are you talking about?" Weiss didn't need an answer because soon her own hands started shaking. She began to feel cold as well. It wasn't a physical cold like in winter. It was more like an old, sad feeling. Weiss had felt this cold sensation after her mother passed. Then again during her father's funeral. It was….

"What is this?" Weiss began to panic herself. It felt like the cold chill of death. Horrible yet familiar sensations began to fill Weiss' mind. It was like the very hands of the reaper were clawing at her back. Her body felt almost numb, but it wasn't because of an artificial cold. It was because she was afraid.

"We need to run! Now!" Weiss cried out.

"What are you screaming about?" Cardin asked. "I'm not leaving until-

"RRRRROOOOAAAAARRR!!!" A thunderous bellow echoed throughout the cavern as the walls began to shake around the group.

"What the actual hell was that?!" Jaune whimpered. His legs began to shake uncontrollably as he held onto Pyrrha just to stand up.

Another shriek tore the cave apart as debris began falling from the cavern's ceiling. It was almost like something was digging it's way out of the depths of the tunnels.

"Every man for himself!" Cardin and Russell ran away screaming from the cavern.

"Move, Jaune!" Pyrrha tugged on Jaune to get him moving. "Weiss! Ruby! Let's go!"

Weiss shook herself out of her trance as her survival instincts kicked in. She turned to Ruby, who was still shaking. "Ruby!" Weiss began pulling on Ruby to get her to move. "Snap out of it! Ruby!" Weiss then slapped Ruby across the face.

"OW!" Ruby rubbed her cheek finally knocked out of her daze. "You hit me!"

"If we don't die I promise to kiss it and make it feel better, but for now move your ass!!" Weiss screamed and pulled Ruby into a sprint.

Weiss and Ruby began to catch up with Pyrrha and Jaune as they made their way down the tunnel they came through. They relied on memory and the fact that it was a straight path to help them through the darkness. Fear was a brilliant motivator. However, Pyrrha was clearly holding back to keep in pace with Jaune, who's stamina was clearly spent.

"How are you exhausted already?" Weiss exclaimed while running.

"I'm too scared-uh to breath!" Jaune answered as he gasped for air.

"Hold on, I got you!" Ruby, in a surprising show of strength, picked up Jaune and put him on her shoulders. Then, she activated her semblance to take off in a burst of rose petals. Even in the dark and with the shaking ground, Ruby was able to sprint at full speed down the harrowing passageway. She barely missed Cardin and Russell as she soared past them. Further and further she ran until she saw daylight and threw herself through the opening with Jaune. They both landed on the ground in a heap. They were now out of the hellhole her semblance carried them through.

Ruby stood up and put her hands on her knees breathing in quick gasps of air. "Are you ok, Jaune?"

"My pride is hurt, but I'm okay. Wait, what about Pyrrha and Weiss?" Jaune questioned.

"They'll be fine." As Ruby said that, she heard the rumbling of a cave-in inside the tunnel. She immediately sprinted back inside. "No. Weiss!"

"Ruby!" All Jaune could do was watch as Ruby willingly went back into the death trap.

Ruby used her semblance again, but was stopped short at a cave-in that blocked the way she'd went before. "No! Wait. There has to be another way." Ruby loaded her weapon with fire dust to blast the rocks. The pile up did nothing but shake from the impact and Ruby was afraid anymore would make the cave-in worse. It still helped because the light caused by the fire lit an untaken path. She didn't hesitate as she went through with her semblance.

On the other side, Weiss and Pyrrha caught up with Cardin and Russell only to see the dead end blocked by unmovable boulders.

"Aw, no freaking way!" Cardin exclaimed.

"Hey, Cardin! There's another tunnel down this way." Russell used the light of the torch to point out the other exit.

"Move it!" Cardin pushed past him to run through the corridor. Russell straightened himself out to follow along with Cardin, while the others stayed closely behind. They reached a large chasm with no bottom in sight. Light seeped in through cracks on the ceiling so they knew they were close to the exit. There was just enough light for them to see that the only way to cross was through a thin, naturally carved walkway. The group of students did not hesitate as they ran across to get to the other side.

Ruby Rose broke through an opening on the far side. "Guys! There's a way out through here just follow the path." Ruby shouted while cupping her hands. Even with that, she could barely be heard over the increasingly violent shaking of the mountain. It was so erratic, that the ceiling was beginning to break apart at an alarming rate. A large piece of debris fell out of place and crashed through the bridge where Weiss was running. A large portion shattered into the abyss below. Weiss held onto the edge with all of her might.

"Heeelllppp!" Weiss screamed out in terror.

Pyrrha turned back to pull her up, but it was too late. A red blur flew over her head and landed where Weiss was hanging. Ruby grabbed onto Weiss's hand to pull her up. "Pyrrha, go!" Ruby shouted to her.

Pyrrha hesitated. "I'm not leaving you behind."

Ruby screamed again. "Just trust me! Make sure the others make it out!" While Ruby immediately assumes they were jerks, she didn't want Cardin and Russell to die.

Pyrrha reluctantly nodded then dashed ahead to find the others.

"You know, you're heavier than you look." Ruby stated as she lifted Weiss up.

Weiss ignored the remark. "Why did you come back?"

"To save you, duh!" Ruby answered.

Weiss's eyes widened. "Ruby I- Ruby?"

Ruby wasn't looking at Weiss. She was staring into the abyss. Weiss looked down as well and was horrified as what she witnessed. There was a large mass of black ichor rising from the chasm. Large hands like that of a grimm were reaching out to claw at anything they could reach; it was getting closer.

Before she could react, Ruby picked up Weiss and tossed her like a haystack to the other side of the bridge. Weiss used a glyph to land on her feet. Ruby leapt across to meet her. The two began running across the bridge as large, dark hands started to cradle it and break the structure apart.

Before they could make it across, the ominous hands managed to destroy what remained of the bridge. "Hold on! Trust me on this one!" Ruby exclaimed to Weiss as she grabbed the girl's hand and jumped from the falling rocks. The two were gliding in midair, but were quickly plummeting downwards. Ruby took a deep breath to concentrate, then suddenly the two blasted through the air just making it to the other side.

"Did you know we'd make it across?" Weiss peered at Ruby as she quickly stood on her own two feet.

"I told you to trust me, didn't I?" Ruby smirked and began to head out with Weiss. Except a large black hand grabbed Ruby by her foot and pulled her over the edge. Weiss reacted fast enough to grab ahold of Ruby before she plummeted to certain death.

"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed. She pulled as hard as she could, but the Grimm had a death grip on Ruby's leg.

"Weiss, don't let go! Please don't let go!" Ruby had tears in her eyes as she was holding onto Weiss with both hands. "Pull up! Pull up!"

"I'm trying!" Weiss was desperately holding on to the pleading girl.

"Help me, please!" More hands grabbed Ruby by the waist and were dragging her down to the black ichor.

Weiss tried summoning a glyph under Ruby to force her up, but the hands pulled harder and Ruby cried out in pain. "Aaaaagghhhhhhh!"

"I'm sorry! Just hold on! Help me pull you up!" Weiss ducked out of the way of a hand then pulled out her rapier to slash another away. She was holding Ruby up with only one hand!

"I don't wanna die! Please pull me up, Weiss!" Ruby was panicking as tears streamed down her face and the hands tightened their grip even more.

"I won't let go! I promise I won't let go!" Weiss was crying now too. 'This can't be how it ends! Not like this! Not with all these regrets!'

A hand grabbed Ruby's head. "I'm sorry Weiss. I-" Ruby was pulled away. She was dragged down into the black abyss of grimm down below.

Weiss couldn't move for a solid second out of shock before she was forced to flee as the hands began reaching for her as well. With tears in her eyes, she turned away and fled. She ran down the passage not even sure where she was going. She just ran. She ran until she broke through the sunlight and into the outside world. Immediately after Weiss run out did the entrance collapse on itself; sealing all of its secrets away forever.

Weiss fell to her knees and was holding her head as she cried. Pyrrha looked away from Jaune at Weiss. Cardin and Russell were nowhere to be seen. Weiss wasn't focused on any of that.

"Weiss. Where's Ruby?" Pyrrha looked heartbroken when she asked that. She knew the answer, but didn't want it to be true.

"Hey! What's going on! Is anyone hurt?" Yang's voice rang out as she and Blake leapt out of the forest. "Some guys where running and screaming from here? Was there an accident?"

Weiss began to cry harder as Pyrrha cupped her head with her hands. Jaune appeared deathly ill, as though he would vomit from the stress.

"Hey! Talk to me. What's going on?! Wait, I know you. Ice queen? What happened? Yang knelt in front of Weiss. "Calm down and take some deep breaths, all right? Start from the beginning."

"I-I-it's my fault! It was my idea to go in there!" Weiss was wailing at this point.

"Geez, calm down. There's no reason to get upset. Hey, Blake, you got a tissue or something. Blake? Blake?" Yang turned to find Blake frozen with a look of horror on her face.

"You too?! What's wrong?!" Yang demanded an answer.

"I-I-I saw-" Blake began to tear up.

Yang stood up to face her usually stoic friend. "Saw what?"

"Before I found you, I was looking for Ruby to make sure she was all right. I saw her with Weiss. They became partners." Blake paused. "If Weiss is here but Ruby isn't then that means…."

Realization hit Yang as she turned to face Weiss. "Weiss! Where is she?" She gripped the crying girl's shoulders. "Where's Ruby?!"

Weiss only shook her head and cried more. How could she tell Yang that her sister was dead and that it was all her fault?

—————————————————————

**A/N: I love** **cliffhangers. Also, the reason for Yang shouting "Ora" is a reference to the Japanese dub. There is a JoJo reference though. **

**Btw, does anyone else hate Jaune's new hair? I can't stand it.**

**Please review. Constructive criticism is welcomed. No flames.**

**Next time: Rainbow in the Dark**


	8. RainbowintheDark

**A/N:**

-**Reviews**

**Lasereye27**: I guess you will just have to read about what happens.

**Gothboy**.**wxlf**: I really am cruel because that's the reaction I was hoping to get. Sorry for the long wait. College soaks up a lot of my time. Though due to recent events I'll have more free time to write.

-**Legend**

**Bold**: **headings/ mystery voice**

_Italicized: single quotation-thoughts/ double quotation- memory_

—————————————————————

Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch could only watch in horror at the site before them. The livestream to their scrolls showed an outside view of the events that had occurred, and even with just that knowledge, they knew what had happened. They watched as the young huntsmen and huntresses broke down at the loss of a comrade. Initiation was difficult and life threatening to those who were underprepared. That being the case, how could the newcomers have ever prepared for something like this.

Glynda's hand shook as it grasped tightly to her riding crop. She was a teacher and huntress so she was ashamed of herself for letting this occur under her watch. "What the hell just happened?" She asked Ozpin.

"I'm afraid we have been blind. No, that would be shifting the blame. I have been blind. I felt this presence, this sense of death, for at least a year now. I thought that since it was so close to our school, of all places, that it was just my nerves. As it turns out, it was only a poor assumption. I can honestly say without a doubt that this is an emergency; the work of some unknown Grimm." Ozpin theorized.

"That's not possible." Glynda refuted. 'A grimm that gives off a sense of death? Grimm are threatening, but not to someone like Ozpin. Also, why was he the only one who felt this presence?'

"You of all people should know what is not possible, Miss Goodwitch. Bringing back the dead is not possible. Turning back the clock is not possible. A new grimm emerging…..well there is always a first." Ozpin explained

"Very well. If what you say is true then the test is over. Our priority is the students; securing our future to face new threats like this."

"Well spoken. Miss- ……..Glynda…..May I ask that you be the one to accept this mission. I'm afraid that I'm not capable-"

"Of course, sir." Goodwitch cut him off. "This will be done properly." Glynda pushed her glasses up to emphasize her statement. She then used her semblance to levitate nearby rocks and form them into a platform. She hitched a ride on her creation and descended to the forest.

'Let's pray whatever monster was trapped in that cave is no more. However, if it survives the rubble then I have to hurry.' Glynda dreaded thoughtfully.

—————————————————————

**"I can't see anything……..I can't hear anything…..**

**"I feel it…….the dark…….it's drowning me."**

**"All the pain…….it's coming back."**

**"I can feel them now……. they're moving…….taking away all the light."**

**"Wait……..I can see…….I see them in the dark……. I can hear…….I can hear them whispering……..telling me my worst fears."**

**"I need to get out………..I need to see Yang…...I can't leave her yet."**

**"I need to see Blake and tell her that she's not alone."**

**"I need to see Weiss……….and tell her I'm sorry."**

**"Please……...can anyone…….help me."**

**"Yang!"**

**"Blake!"**

**"Weiss!"**

**"Dad!"**

**"Mom! Mommy! Mommy!!!"**

—————————————————————-

**Emerald Forest**

"Weiss! You tell me that Ruby wasn't in there!" Yang yelled at Weiss.

Weiss simply hid her face with her hands. As if when pressed hard enough the tears would stop.

"Weiss!"

Weiss shook her head 'no' in response.

"Okay! Well tell me she's ok. Tell me she's just trapped in there. We can still get her out, right?!" Yang asked pleadingly.

"Yang." Blake put her hand on Yang only to have her shrug it off.

"Tell me that Ruby is okay!"

"She's dead and it's my fault!" Weiss finally shouted. "We both went into the cave, and there was s-s-something evil down there. We all ran out, but Ruby came back to make sure everyone was okay and she fell saving my life!...she's gone, Yang." Weiss stated.

Yang sneered. Her eyes glowed red and her hair blazed as she picked up Weiss by her collar. "You bitch! Don't you say that again! You're just a coward! You don't wanna go back for her even after she saved you!"

"Yang, put her down." Blake insisted.

"Please control yourself. If you wish to blame someone then blame me!" Pyrrha claimed. "I should have gone back into the cave to help. If I had, then maybe Ruby would be here. Weiss did all she could by herself."

"You're not listening! Ruby is alive! We should all go back and help!" Yang cried out while still holding Weiss.

"Yang you don't know that! Just calm down and put her down!" Blake insisted more vocally.

Yang turned to glare at everyone with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong with you people?! Stop acting like she's gone!"

"You're acting like that as well." Weiss's voice returned. Yang turned back to glare but Weiss continued. "Ruby is gone. It's my fault and we both have to accept that."

Yang looked ready to punch Weiss. She continued to growl until her eyes and hair burned and then returned to normal. She dropped Weiss with a distant look in her eyes. She began searching for something, or in this case, searching for someone. Yang stared until the tears fell and she was forced to close her eyes.

Blake walked to Yang then placed her hand on her shoulder again. Yang did not refuse this time. '_I'm_ _useless. I couldn't even do one thing right. I couldn't keep one promise. I'm sorry Ruby! I'm sorry that I wasn't a good big sister._' Yang's mind tormented itself.

Weiss laid on the ground with her head lowered. Pyrrha turned to Jaune to help him up from his place on the ground. He reluctantly took the hand. Completely aware of the fact that she was holding him up more than just physically. Jaune wouldn't dare voice his own thoughts, but he never felt more useless. Guilt spread across the group like wildfire. Everyone blamed themselves for what had happened.

_"You would be an outsider, every single day would be a struggle, and if the worst happens, you would die."_Jaune remembered a line from Ozpin when they first met. He was wrong. The worst was to let someone else die when he could have done something about it.

"I know that a lot has happened and it might seems inappropriate to ask this now, but what should we do? Is the test even a priority right now? Pyrrha questioned.

"I don't know. Maybe we should keep moving." Blake answered.

Before any objection was brought up, Weiss felt it again. The hands of death clawing at her back. The feeling had returned bringing a monster with it.

—————-————————————————

**"I'm all alone……..in the dark……..trapped in this nightmare."**

**"I can't breathe……..my lungs are burning….."**

**"My whole body is going numb. It feels like I'm fading away."**

**"Will I vanish? Like I never existed. Like I never mattered."**

**"I don't wanna leave……..I want to see everyone…….there's still so much I wanna do……."**

**"...but……...I'm so lost. There's no way out."**

**"...no……..I can see…….I can see the light……...the light at the end of this void."**

**"I can reach it……..I'm almost there."**

————————————————————

**Emerald Forest**

Blake's bow twitched as she heard rumbling. Her instincts immediately kicked in. "There's something coming. Whatever it is, it's massive."

"Is a grimm closing in on us?" Pyrrha questioned.

"Most likely. We're too exposed here so we have to move. Yang, are you listening?" Blake turned to find Yang still unresponsive.

"Yang, we need to go now." Blake insisted.

Suddenly the rocks of the cave began to rumble. Shaking violently as if they were being broken through by force. Sounds that resembled a thunder clap echoed as the rocks burst forth from the now open entryway. A large, scarred scorpion rose from the exit swinging its tail violently and gnashing its large claws.

"A Death Stalker? He must have been hiding in the cave." Prryha called out.

"That thing caused all of this!" Jaune exclaimed. The new threat rose him out of his guilt-ridden silence.

"This doesn't feel right." Blake remarked.

A focused Yang formed her bracelets into gauntlets. "Is this the guy, Weiss?" Yang asked with a serious expression.

Weiss's tears stopped falling but she was still nervous. "I didn't even see a Death Stalker in there. Whatever took Ruby was much larger." Weiss explained as she tried to remain calm.

"How much bigger?" Yang asked.

As if to answer her question a large thick black ooze burst out of the opening like a geyser and landed on the Death stalker . The Grimm was fruitlessly shaking the substance off of it as it began to harden and solidify around tue scorpian's tail and lower body. Bones started to form on the mass to give the impression of a large hand grasping its prey. Then, dozens or even hundreds of smaller black hands began to writhe out and crack open the cliffs side to create a larger entrance. The swarm of hands began to grasp each other to seemingly meld into a larger form.

"What the hell is that?!" Yang voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Is this thing supposed to be a grimm?!" Jaune's sense of panic was returning. A cold sensation that he attributed to the cave had returned as well.

"None that I've ever heard about." Blake was intimidated by the being's size but that's not what was bothering her. Every faunus instinct she had told her to run. 'This feeling……..it's like the descriptions of a horror novel. Yes, this creature is horrifying, but I feel as if I'm being influenced somehow. Is this why Weiss is acting up? Why does she feel worse than we do?' Blake turned to Weiss to find her still on the ground shaking.

The ooze connecting to the large body formed a solid appendage the size of two school busses and lifted the death stalker. More bone grew out of the beast to form teeth as it opened a large mouth and devoured the head of the Death Stalker. The rest of its body began to fade but not before it was swallowed down the creature's gullet. The mouth rose up from the mass of ooze and hands to mold as a head on the creature's shoulders. Bone started to grow on the left side of its face; the Grimm was growing a collarbone and a set of ribs as well. This grimm appeared as a 120 ft. tall humanoid peeking out of the now shaking mountainside with its potential left arm and lower body still hidden.

"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" The grimm howled as if it was in pain. Like it was being burned by the sunlight and began to writhe wildly. It brought its arm down with tremendous force, shaking the ground around it.

"Oh fu-"

—————————————————————

**Ruby Rose**

Ruby's world of darkness was wiped away as she reached for a bright light. She found herself opening her eyes to another dark place. This time however, it was her room where she was in bed and a figure was reading to her.

"And they lived happily ever after…...the end. Now how was that story, little rose?" Asked Summer Rose.

A four-year old Ruby Rose answered, "It was kinda scary, but I think I liked it a lot. The ending was a little sad though. I mean it's confusing when it says 'happily ever after' but the hero never got that happy ending." Ruby was beginning to recognize this moment. It was the last time she saw her mother.

_'Is this my memory? Wait, I never said that last_ _part.'_ Ruby thought.

Summer smiled at her innocent daughter. "You're a tad bit too little to understand this Ruby, but sometimes there isn't always a happy ending. Bad things happen and people just have to move on. Like what happened to me." Summer smiled.

"W-what?" Ruby questioned.

"Hey, don't look so sad. Believe it or not that's a good thing. It let's people make up their own happy endings. They get to be who they want, go do what they want, it's all part of the journey these storybook heroes take, Ruby. It's what everyone aspires to be. It's different in real life though. The heroes in books are remembered, but people like me are just left to be forgotten. It's part of the path to becoming a huntress. One day you'll meet a horrible end and no one will care." Summer continued to smile.

"Mommy! Why are you saying this?" Ruby tried to get up but was stopped and tucked into bed by Summer.

"Ruby we talked about this. I'm a huntress and that's what huntresses do. You don't have to worry. I promise I'll always come back to you and Yang." Summer leaned down to kiss Ruby on her forehead. "If only I knew I couldn't keep that promise. If I were you little rose I would stay in bed where it's safe. Sometimes the world is just too cruel."

"Now it's past your bedtime. Get some sleep; you don't want to be too tired to play with Yang and bother your Uncle, right?" Summer jested. "Unless they left you too."

"Mommy wait!" Ruby cried. She knew this was all wrong.

"Then goodnight, my little rose." Summer walked away to turn on Ruby's night light before turning out the bedroom light. Ruby remembered what came next and got out of bed.

"No, no, don't leave! Mom!" Ruby opened the door and was met with a blinding white light.

—————————————————————

**Emerald Forest**

The grimm's hand came crashing down and created a large dust cloud. It obviously hadn't adjusted to its large body because the swing nearly toppled its upper torso forward and was slow to move its arm back. This was lucky for the group as that gave them plenty of time to run out of the cloud.

"This is crazy! How has that thing been hiding there this whole time?! You would've figured the teachers would've noticed!" Jaune exclaimed.

"I'm not sure. Maybe this is new?" Blake suggested.

"Well whatever this **Colossus** is we are ill-prepared to face it." Pyrrha observed.

"Is that seriously what we're calling it?" Even Jaune thought the name was a little tacky.

"That's not important right now. I know this might mean we fail the test, but even a trained hunter might not even beat this thing. We have to report this to the teachers." Blake suggested.

"Hold up. Weiss, this is the thing right? The Grimm you saw?" Yang asked. Weiss was standing up now but visibly shivering. She nodded her head in reply.

"That thing is big. What are the chances that Ruby is in there? That maybe it swallowed her whole?" Yang inquired.

"Yang, that's very unlikely. Sure grimm don't have digestive organs so it can't digest her, but she would've been crushed or suffocated by now. I want Ruby to be alive too, but there's no good that can come from facing that thing." Blake tried to convince Yang.

Yang looked determined and clenched her fist. "Maybe, but I don't see a body. She could be dead or she could be crying out for help. I'll admit that a part of me wants to run too. I feel like hot needles are stabbing me all over my muscles. It's taking me everything not to break down in despair, but she's my sister. Even if she's dead I have to know. I'll regret it if I'm always left wondering!" Yang launched towards the Colossus.

"No, stop!" Blake ran after her. '_It's not like I disagree with her, but if she goes in there alone she'll die!'_

"Jaune, go get help!" Pyrrha ordered as she ran to fight as well.

Jaune was tempted to do as he was told. '_That's_ _probably what I should do. I'm no good here… but still I owe it to that girl.' Jaune was determined to help._

Weiss was left standing there and watching as the battle unfolded.

Yang was throwing punches at the chest area closest to the ground. Hitting as hard as she could was doing no damage. Then, it's form sprouted hands to grab at her. Yang leapt backwards to fire dust rounds at the appendages. Several of them were sprouting longer to catch her. She was ducking and rolling away from them, then blasting away to gain some space.

Blake tried firing at its head with no affect. "It doesn't have any eyes… Guys! Find a weak point somewhere else!" Blake jumped up as it's arm swept across and tore up the terrain, almost catching Yang with debris. Blake launched Gamboul Shroud's hook into the hand then pulled herself towards it. Running up it's arm, she sliced at any grasping hands; twirling her blade and hook to cut them down by the dozen. She almost made it to the top when the Colossus roared again.

"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" The cry was so close that it caused Blake to grab her bow in pain. While stunned, the Colossus jerked its arm to throw Blake off. She began free-falling and Gamboul Shroud slipped out of her grasp. She was saved, however, when Pyrrha caught her.

"Thanks." After they landed, Blake retrieved her weapon.

Pyrrha launched her spear, Milo, and shield, Akuouo, to shred the arms attacking Yang then somehow recalled them back like boomerangs. "You're welcome. However we aren't making a dent."

Jaune ran up to them. "Then go for the joints or beneath the ribs. This thing might not have organs, but it's shaped like a person, so just hit it where it naturally hurts." Jaune's personal experience with bodily harm give him this idea.

Prryha was too impressed to scold Jaune. Also, the Colossus's arm was coming towards them. Jaune tackled Prryha out of the way while Blake avoided it with a shadow clone. Jaune quickly helped Pyrrha back up.

"Thanks, partner." Prryha commented. "Yang! Hit between the ribs!"

"Gotcha! I hope you're a ticklish big fellow." Yang scaled the ribcage and began to strike the flesh. It must have done something, because the Colossus roared again; except this time it was more of a yelp. It's coordination was improving however because it brought its right palm on the left of its ribcage to smite Yang. With a loud smack, she was knocked off like a bug.

"Yang!" Everyone cried out. Yang responded with her hair blazing into a golden aura and her rising up. With a battle cry, she leapt onto it's right arm to attack the elbow. She was furiously pounding on the joint in an attempt to dislodge it. More smaller hands rose to grab her but were either ripped or burned away by her aura. The Colossus' head closed in to bite her, but cried out when Pyrrha's shield busted a tooth. Blake threw her weapon and the hook was thrown into the tooth.

"Grab it, Yang!" Blake said.

Yang turned and smirked as the gamboul shroud was hanging an arm's length away. She grabbed and pulled with all her might. "How's this for a toothache, bastard!!" With Yang's strength she pulled so hard that the tooth was ripped out. The colossus hollered in pain and shook its body as Yang was thrown off to slam back hard into the ground.

The angry grimm closed it's fist and threw a punch at the group. The actual fist didn't hit, however, the dust blinded everyone and left them open for debris. Prryha was nailed by a human sized boulder then she impacted Jaune. Yang was blown away further with her semblance deactivated. Blake made it out unscathed by spamming her semblance so as to avoid injury; the effort left her panting.

Weiss looked on in horror as the scene played out. "They're going to die. They're going to die like Ruby. Why don't they run? I can barely move, but if I tried, I could run. Why don't they? I know they're afraid so why don't they run. I feel so helpless. Is this all the resolve I can muster?" Weiss monologues to herself. Weiss's body refused to move due to the presence of the Colossus. It felt like death was hanging over her head. It took everything not to pass out from the stress alone.

'_Why am I so weak? I can't do anything. I can't be a leader, a huntress, or even a Schnee! Here I stand while others fight my battles. Ruby was my responsibility and here I am quivering. I owed her so much; she gave me courage when I needed it most. Even if it was by proxy, her drive gave me the will to pick up my rapier. When it all looked dark, she cheered for me like no one else had. She is a sloth, a juvenile, a dolt, but at least she was no coward. I never cared about being her friend, but if I'm being honest, I at least would have liked to know and learn about her. The girl who was out reach… someone who helped me, but ultimately would never stand being around me. This beast took her away. It made me look like a liar and a coward!' _Weiss gripped her rapier.

The Colossus bashed it's arm on the cliffside to knock down more boulders. It picked up a handful and tossed them everywhere. Large rocks began impacting the ground destroying the area. Jaune tried to carry Pyrrha away while Blake and Yang were pelted by smaller debris. All of them were nearly crushed by a second toss if not for the white glyphs that sent them away to safety.

The group was pushed safely behind Weiss as she stepped forward. Yang wiped some blood from her lip to address Weiss with a smirk. "Does the ice queen care after all?"

"Silence. I am Weiss Schnee and I won't allow anything to stand in my way. That includes this blemish on Remnant. Can you fight or are you giving up?"

"Yeah right." Yang stood to Weiss's left and popped her neck. "I haven't had a good fight all day. I'm just getting fired up!"

"I'm invested now. If Ruby really is in there, we owe her to the help. I wouldn't be here if not for that girl. Let's kill this thing." Blake announced. She stood to Weiss's right.

_'They're so cool!' _Jaune thought. Even under the dire circumstances, he acknowledged the fact they were unconsciously posing. He cradled Pyrrha as she was holding her ribs.

"Just give me a minute and I can assist you. I won't let you all fall here." Prryha insisted.

"Join us when you are able." Weiss drew her weapon. "Let's go."

"IIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNCCCCCOMING!!!" Before they could charge, a shrill voice cried out. The group turned in confusion as they saw a falling nevermore headed straight for the Colossus. Two people jumped off its back as it was sent careening. The colossus could not react before it was struck in the head with a massive impact. The newcomers were caught by a series of Weiss's glyphs and landed on the ground safely.

_' WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!' _Everyone thought.

_'They ruined my moment_!' Weiss thought indignantly.

"Wwwwwooooooohhhhhoooo!! That was awesome! Hahahahaha! I told you that was a good idea, Ren! We looked so cool! Like a lightning strike coming outta nowhere to rain death on our foes!" A hyperactive orange-haired girl shouted excitedly.

"Nora! We could've died." A young man answered. His yelling was more like talking.

"But it was so fun!"

"No, it wasn't."

Nora Valkyrie walked up to Lie Ren. "Boop." then booped him on the nose.

"What?" Blake asked calmly.

"Today is full of excitement." Yang answered.

"There's a big scary grimm here so we thought this is where we were supposed to go. This is part of the test, right? Right? Right?!" Nora asked, getting closer. The trio backed up.

"I was against this idea. What exactly is going on? Ren asked.

"Not enough time." Blake pointed at the Colossus. The Nevermore sunk into the Colossus as it corrected itself. It's existing bones grew denser; whole new bones erupted to protect its arm. It even grew its lost tooth back.

"As if this wasn't difficult enough!" Weiss exclaimed. "Thank you for your wonderful assistance!"

"You're welcome!" Nora answered not understanding the sarcasm.

"We're doomed." Ren commented.

————————————————————-

**Ruby Rose**

When Ruby ran through the door she landed in a location she did not expect. Instead of being in her house, she was now outside in a snowy forest. The ongoing blizzard was raining down fiercely. She turned back to notice the door was gone. Ruby also noticed she was back to her usual appearance; she pulled her red hood up to protect herself.

"I don't understand any of this." Ruby commented. Regardless of what was happening all she could do was move forward. Ruby began to trudge through the snow in hopes to find her mother, the light, or anything hopeful. She didn't believe any of this was real, yet the cold still made her bones shiver. Ruby continued deeper into the forest as the overbrush of tall trees almost blocked out the sky leaving no room for the shattered moon's light.

"I don't remember how I got here. Is mom actually here waiting for me? No, that can't be right. Wait. I do remember a forest, but not white snow…..white… white… What's wrong with me?!" Ruby grabbed her head in frustration as she tried to remember. Her memories were fading with every step. It's like she was dreaming. She was barely conscious of her actions.

"I wasn't alone. I was in a forest and I wasn't alone. **Of course I was. I'm always alone. **Wait that's notright…..I have…** No one. Sooner or later, everyone leaves. Everyone is taken away."** Ruby stopped. She realized that she wasn't the one talking like that. There was another voice in her head.

_'I would never think something like that._' Ruby thought.

**'**_**I think like that all the time.' **_Ruby thought.

"Who's there?!" Ruby reached for Crescent Rose, but it had vanished just as her memories had.

**"I'm defenseless**. Where did my weapon go? **Why** **does it matter? It won't change what's going to** **happen**. Stop it!" Ruby began to run faster.

**_'I shouldn't even bother. I know how this ends.' _**Ruby thought.

Ruby tripped and fell in snow. She immediately turned to scan the area. She searched for who was talking. "Who's there?! Show yourself now! I'm not running! **I shouldn't run. What's the**\- AHH, get out of my head!" Ruby began to smack her head as if to knock something out of it.

**"They are coming." **Ruby whispered.

Suddenly howling filled the air. Against her newfound instincts, Ruby began to run through the woods. Try as she might, her semblance wouldn't activate as she ran for dear life. Her red cape flowed behind her as black figures were closing in. Red eyes lit up the forest as the beasts hunted their prey.

Ruby didn't recognize the grimm, but continued to run. She ran so fast she unconsciously took a familiar trail. Eventually, Ruby made it out of the forests to end up at a cliffside. At the end was a white cloaked figure facing away from her.

"Mom?"

—————————————————————-

**Battle with the Colossus**

"Get some!" Nora roared as she was firing grenades at the large grimm. She transformed her hammer, Magnhild, into a grenade launcher and began blasting the creature. Despite using long-range, Nora was running up to close the gap.

"Oh well." Ren pulled out his gun-daggers, Stormflower, and ran after Nora with covering fire.

"Everyone in the pool, I guess." Yang, along with Blake and Weiss charged in. Nora transformed her hammer back to smash the ribs, only for it to bounce off. Large spiny hands seeped out from under the ribcage to bind her only to be torn apart by Ren in a wild slash rotation. Ren then put his hand on Nora and they seemingly disappeared from view.

"Wait, what?" Yang commented.

"Cut the chatter and move it." Weiss ordered as the Colossus's arm was coming down. They all jumped on the sweeping limb. Yang stayed in the back while the rest slashed away any appendages. "Attack the shoulder. See if we can dislocate something!"

Weiss then stabbed her rapier into the shoulder, covering it in ice dust. Blake grappled Yang with her ribbon to swing her up. She created a shadow clone in mid-air, then jumped on a glyph to gain height and tossed Yang. Yang smashes her gauntlets into the ice, cracking it while Blake fell. It was revealed as a fire clone when it landed then shattered the ice.

The trio smirked briefly only for it to be revealed that they barely dealt any real damage. They only broke through the skin. Their legs were being pulled in by more oozing, black hands. Blake was cutting herself free, but Weiss and Yang were being sucked in knee deep.

The beast howled when it was struck in the face by Nora's hammer. She continued bashing against the unprotected side. Ren ran in to free Yang while Blake freed Weiss.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Nora cried as she continued the assault.

The Colossus took issues with that as it crashed its body into the cliff, causing its passenger's to lose their balance. Rocks rubble began to fall. Nora was thrown off by the debris.

"Nora!" Ren jumped to catch her. As he did, the grimm rose its hand to swat them away. He barely caught them with his forefinger, however it sent them flying into the fallen rubble.

While this happened, Blake wrapped her ribbon around the monster's arm to swing underneath it. She pulled herself in an upswing then slashed at its underarm. It cried louder from the pain, but Blake ignored the cries this time. All she could really hear was the ringing in her ears from the adrenaline.

Weiss and Yang kept assaulting the shoulder to dig for a weak point. Weiss danced around with her glyphs to attack while evading the hands. Yang approached with less grace by simply smashing anything with her semblance blazing.

The Colossus reared its only arm back as the occupants held on. It firmly grasped one of its ribs and with a bellow, it tore it out.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!" Served as a war cry as it turned the bone backwards to swat at Blake. She dodged with a clone, but her weapon didn't come with her and she was sent falling.

"Blake!" Yang cried.

"I got her." Weiss summoned glyphs to slow Blake only for the Grimm to turn its new weapon on them. It smacked the bone on its shoulder knocking both down as they fell to. The colossus was fast as it spread its arm outward and knocked them all away. The trio went flying through the air and slammed into the broken battlefield. Their auras were flickering brightly.

Nora and Ren ran to help the others. "Are you guys ok? Please don't be dead! I don't even know your names! I'm Nora, and this is Ren." They were groaning too much to comment on the hyperactive girl's poor sense of timing.

"Guys, look out!" Jaune called out to them. Still a fair distance away with Pyrrha.

"Look out? For what?" Nora asked.

"RRRRRRAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!" The Colossus answered. As it swung the makeshift weapon upon them. Kicking up a dust cloud, it continued to pound and pound the same point with each hit punctuated by a short yell. The sound of breaking bones with a crashing landscape filled the air. It eventually paused its assault.

Thankfully, no one was actually hit. They were moved away from the attack back to Jaune.

"Holy Crap! Ow! Ow! Ow! Thanks for the save…….Joan? Whatever your name is." Yang groaned while holding her head.

"I didn't do that. She did." Jaune clarified.

"Miss Xiao Long." Glynda Goodwitch floated her platform down to the group. "It appears as though you have led everyone to participate in this 'extra credit'. You do realize this grimm is beyond initiate level?" She asked rhetorically.

"Not my best idea. I think even with my aura, I've got a concussion and internal bleeding." Yang admitted standing up.

"Then may I suggest a tactical retreat." Glynda pronounced it as though it wasn't a request.

"Hold on. We can't leave yet." Yang retorted.

"She's right. Our friend was swallowed by that thing. She's still in there." Blake stated.

"Swallowed?! Ew! So that's what's going on?" Nora commented.

"Please help us. Ruby could still be alive." Yang begged.

"That's very unlikely. Miss Rose would have most likely suffocated by now." Glynda paused to stop the giant rib bone flying towards them. She calmly set it down with her telekinesis semblance.

"Despite the distance, we aren't safe here. This is a grimm that will require a group of well-trained hunters to take down. After the foolish actions of today, I'm not sure any of you will even become students." Glynda turned to walk away.

"Miss Goodwitch, please!" Weiss spoke up before Yang could. "Ruby is my partner and she's in there because of my failure. I have to try and save her." Weiss proclaimed.

"She's right, except, I share the blame." Pyrrha stood up holding herself. "If I had done more, then Ruby would be fine. Instead, she's most likely battling for her life. Regardless of what happens to me, I won't live with the regret of abandoning someone." Pyrrha announced.

"I couldn't keep up with everyone, so Ruby had to pick up the slack for me. I couldn't live with the guilt either." Jaune said.

Boulders were thrown at them but were easily stopped by Goodwitch.

"I am currently your teacher and a huntress. You will leave the premises now." Glynda appeared annoyed at them, but she was really aggravated with herself for dragging this out and hearing their willful pleas.

"Miss Goodwitch, if I may, it sounds like someone needs help. Isn't a huntress supposed to help others?" Ren spoke up.

Glynda was pretty ticked off by his remark, however she could not argue with his logic.

"Please. We have to save my sister. She's all I got." Yang begged.

Glynda's scroll rang. She quickly glanced at it to receive a text from Ozpin. **"Please save Miss Rose."** It read.

A larger volley of rock and debris sailed towards them. Glynda stopped the portion that would've hit them all. She pressed up her glasses and furrowed her brow. The levitating shrapnel along with other rocks began to merge on a focused point.

"If Miss Rose is in there it would most likely be where the stomach is. I'll give support while you focus on this grimm's defenses. Miss Nikos and Mister Arc will remain here as they are unfit for battle. Just so you all know, when this is over there will be repercussions." The mass of rocks formed into a dense boulder that would belong on a trebuchet. Glynda groaned with effort as she sent the projectile at the Colossus. It impacted the uncovered side of its face which tore off a chunk of black flesh and disoriented the monster.

This signaled everyone to run in for the attack. Nora launched grenades to dispatch any wandering hands while Blake climbed up its arm again to retrieve her weapon. Weiss stabbed into the flesh and ignited it with fire while Yang and Ren sent dust rounds at its ribs to search for a soft spot.

"I feel better now. I can help." Pyrrha wanted to join them.

"Hold on. If you go out there now you could end up in an even worse state." Jaune argued.

"I said I would help and I meant it."

"Well, there are plenty of people fighting close range. Why not attack from here?" Jaune questioned.

"That's not exactly my specialty." Pyrrha argued.

"What about that thing you did with your weapons? How did that happen?"

"Well, I suppose I can tell you. My semblance is Polarity. I can manipulate metal objects." She explained.

"Metal, eh? Actually, that gives me an idea. There's metal ore in that cave system right?" Jaune smirked.

"Where are you going with this?" Pyrrha asked.

Meanwhile Goodwitch was using her telekinesis to uproot and raise fallen trees. She formed them overhead as a volley of a dozen logs then began to spin them at an accelerating speed. At that point, Blake had unhooked her weapon and jumped away to avoid a bite. She stuck the blade into the recently exposed portion of the rib cage then slashed along the width. After the blow, Blake landed on her feet with her aura flickering to absorb the fall. The large gash expelled smoke as the Colossus cried in anguish.

Glynda then sent the volley of high spinning wooden projectiles at the creature. Several broke apart against the bones, but some were impaled all around the Colossus' chest. One tree even worsened the new injury by tearing into its exposed side.

"Take that, ugly!" Yang cheered. Weiss and Ren were stabbing into her belly to gain entrance. Now that they knew it could be cut, they were determined to drag Ruby's body out.

"That's right. Just keep concentrating!" Jaune encouraged Pyrrha. She was in a crouch with both hands on the ground like she was feeling around for something.

"I've never used my semblance on this scale before. Are you sure it can work?" Pyrrha asked.

"I don't see why not. Have you found a vein yet?"

"I have. There's a silver vein in the system of tunnels. I'm just having trouble pulling it out." Pyrrha clarified.

Jaune put his hand on her shoulder for encouragement. "You got this. When you feel ready then pull with all you've got."

The Colossus put its hand into the ground trying to swat the students away. Yang and Ren backed off while Weiss and Blake stayed close. Nora tried to scale the ribs to attack the new weak point, but began to get stuck in the creature's flesh.

"No, no, no. This was a bad idea!" Nora was trying to resist. Ren ran forward to try and aid her. This distracted him from the hands that sprouted from the ground to ensnare him.

"He's using his hand to grow more limbs underground!" Blake dodged several with her shadow clones while Weiss avoided them with her glyphs. Yang wasn't so lucky, as she was trapped by the emerging tendrils.

Suddenly, the Colossus' hand was being pried from the ground by a purple glow. Glynda struggled to move against the grimm's strength. The creature then began to dry heave as though it was sick. After a few seconds of heaving, it coughed and launched a wad of black mass at Goodwitch. She refocused to stop the grimm's attack too late. The projectile impacted where she, Jaune, and Prryha stood.

"No!" Weiss cried out concerned for the others.

Thankfully, the long range party was saved. On the outside it looked like they had been consumed. However, on the inside, Goodwitch was holding back the prowling hands from them. It almost appeared as though a purple shield was protecting them from the dark.

"Mister Arc, whatever scheme you've concocted I suggest you fulfill it now. I can't hold all this darkness back for long." Goodwitch commanded.

"We're trying!" Jaune whined.

"I'm sorry…...I don't think I can do this." Pyrrha claimed. She was losing hope. The sense of dread was overwhelming her.

She wasn't the only one, as everyone began to feel hopeless. Everyone was either being consumed or starting to lose the strength to fight.

"NO! Not yet!" Yang's semblance obliterated her bounds as she roared and charged the monster.

"Give her back! GIVE RUBY BACK!!" Yang wailed as she plowed into the Colossus gut. The strike caused a deep, scorched impact on its belly to appear, but the Grimm was more angry than hurt. Instead of small hands, it's large fingers stretched out to crush Yang. They expanded high above the ground until she was at face level with the Colossus who roared at her.

Yang struggled against the grimm's hold as it began to press the fingers down on her body. The Colossus was behaving as though it was trying to crush a bug with its fingers.

"AAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!! AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!" Yang screamed in pain. Her semblance was being rendered useless and her aura shined to protect her, but it slowly flickering out of existence. As soon as the glow would stop, Yang would be rendered as paste.

"RUBY! Are you in there?! RUBY!!!" Yang still called for her sister. Although now it sounded like a cry for help.

"RUBY!!!"

—————————————————————

**Ruby Rose**

Ruby was facing a figure that appeared to be her mother. Summer's white cloak was billowing in the wind; matching the blizzard.

Ruby then ran to her. "Mom! You're here! I've been looking everywhere for you!" The closer Ruby got to the figure the more it began to blend in with the snow. Until it completely faded before Ruby's eyes. Confusion filled her until a realization hit.

"I do recognize this place… Hi mom." Before Ruby Rose was her mother's grave buried in snow. Ruby fell to her knees clutching her red hood to draw it closer. "I thought you would always be with me. Now you're gone."

Growling could be heard as black, red-eyed wolves arrived from the forest. They were the monsters chasing her. They were not Beowolves or any recognizable Grimm, just large black wolves. There were many of them and Ruby was defenseless.

**"Now I'm all alone**. I'm all alone." Ruby stayed motionless. She was too tired to run. Ruby was cold and alone. She just wanted this waking nightmare to end.

'_I've got no one left waiting for me. Mom was all I had.' _She thought. The wolves were snarling then began approaching her.

_'At least I got to see you one more time. I don't think I've ever been here in the snow. It's so pretty………...pretty white snow……..white……..white'_

_"You're quite a pain, you know that, and stubborn and annoying. You were also very brave helping me back there."_

_'Weiss…….my partner……….I know she says she wants nothing to do with me, but I think that's because she's used to being alone. I don't want to leave her alone.'_

Ruby turned to face the wolves as they closed in on her.

_'I've never seen black beasts like these before….black…'_

_"But we only recently met and have been talking for maybe five minutes. You can't honestly say that I'm your friend."_

'_There's also Blake. She's like that too. I know she cares even if she doesn't show it. I just wish she would come out of her shell more to me and………'_

_'Am I forgetting someone?' _Ruby monologued. The wolves looked ready to pounce.

"RUBY!!!" A cry rang out.

Ruby turned to look beyond the cliff's edge to see the sun rising over the winter landscape. The black creatures backed away from the bright light.

"RUBY!!!"

"... Bright yellow sun……..is that Yang? Is she calling me?" Ruby asked aloud.

"RUBY!!!"

_"I've been a terrible big sister! I'm sorry for leaving you like that! I'm sorry for not believing you when we were little! I'm sorry for being so distant! I'm sorry I haven't made it up to you!"_

"Yang's in trouble!" Ruby stood up.** "Why should I care? **Because she's my sister! She's my family! There's her…..and dad….Uncle Qrow, Blake, even Weiss they're all important to me. So you shut your mouth!" Ruby silenced the intrusive voice.

Ruby took her hood down and glared at the wolves; they were still backing away from the light. However, the light looked almost luminous white not like the sun's rays. Then, she realized the light was coming from her.

_"I won't let go! I promise I won't let go!"_

_"Wow, honestly I'm quite envious of you."_

_"Oh Ruby I'm so proud of you!"_

The light shone brighter as Ruby remembered the people waiting for her. All her memories and why she was here came rushing back to her. Her determination grew with every new memory.

_"As much as I hate to admit it…...you saved me back there. As a Schnee I must repay the debt."_

_"Because she's my friend."_

_"Yep! I'm gonna make you pay for it every day from now on!"_

The wolves howled before they were burned away by the encompassing light. The glow began to spread out and glow brighter until the entire world was consumed by the silver light.

————————————————————-

**Battle with the Colossus**

The Colossus roared seemingly in victory as all its adversaries were being disabled and one was near death. Yang continued to struggle and yell in the monster's grip. Then, it stopped roaring when it's grip on Yang went slack. She still could not break free but was no longer in danger of being crushed. The Grimm's body began to squirm in discomfort.

"Ssssoooo, what's happening?" Nora questioned.

"I'm not sure." Weiss replied

Suddenly a beam of light left the monster's wound at its side. It began to scream in pain again as its whole body started to engulate and it's many hands started to squirm. It's chest began to harden. It was turning into solid stone. The monster shaked and wailed as the hardening chest began to crack. Large fissures formed over the stone then began to split its body.

The mass of grimm trying to consume Glynda and a pair of her students collapsed as it also broke away like fragile stone. Glynda looked on in awe.

"That's not possible." She whispered.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked.

"I'm not sure." Glynda lied.

The Colossus' chest ruptured open spraying fragments everywhere. Yang fell from its grasp as a red blur flew out of the gaping hole to catch her falling body. They both landed safely on the ground away from the moaning grimm.

Yang opened her eyes to see her savior. "Ruby?"

"I heard you call." Ruby answered mysteriously. She was smiling down at her big sister.

"No way." Blake commented. Everyone was shell shocked by what they'd just witnessed. Weiss was speechless as she literally watched the dead return to life. Ruby set Yang down on her feet.

"Rubes." Yang was teary eyed. "I knew you were alive."

"Thanks for never giving up on me. We have to finish this though." They turned to the colossus.

A large portion of its body was now gone but the beast still stood strong. Most of its chest area collapsed leaving several of the ribs. The hands covering its body began to flake away into the wind. It's face was falling apart only being held up by the large bone cover. Despite the severe damage the fight wasn't over.

"Are you kidding me?" Yang asked.

"Miss Rose." Goodwitch called out. "May I suggest you go for the neck?"

"Good idea! Yang? Can you and Blake give me an opening?" Ruby asked.

"We got this." Blake answered for her. "It's good to see you by the way."

"Thanks." Ruby turned to Weiss. "I get your probably mad at me, but I really need your help partner."

Weiss only nodded firmly.

"Ok. And, break!" With that order, they dodged the Colossus' mighty swinging arm.

**-(OST) This will be the Day**

"Hey, you two!" Jaune called to Nora and Ren. "Crack its head!" Jaune yelled uncharacteristically confident.

"Yes!" Nora and Ren ran to the fray.

"Give me a boost!" Nora called to anyone. Yang held hands out for the right pose. Nora jumped off her hands then sailed while firing dust from her hammer. She gained enough height to land an attack on the grimm's skull. It didn't crack, but the creature flinched. Ren and the rest scaled the ribs to catch up. Ren went for the head to make an opening while Yang and Blake tried to attack the neck.

"Jaune! I think I found something." Pyrrha received a confidence boost from the display then focused her new resolve on her task. She began to drag the metal from the ground as the earth beneath the Colussus cracked.

"You're doing great!" Jaune encouraged.

"No! I can't hold it! My arms feel like they are breaking!" Pyrrha was the definition of stern faced as it felt like she was trying to move mountains.

Jaune put his hand on her shoulder. "You got this! I'll help! We're partners, right? You're not alone in this." Unknowingly, Jaune's body began to glow white as his injuries, including his bleeding forehead, began to heal.

"Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh!!!" Pyrrha and Jaune yelled as their aura was blazing brightly. Large fissures were tearing up the ground until massive spikes of silver tore from the ground to impale the grim. At least four large spikes were embedded in its abdomen.

Pyrrha and Jaune collapsed from the effort. Goodwitch was surprised again but this time could not explain this.

"Outstanding. Ozpin is certainly proving me wrong today." She pushed her glasses up. "So I guess I can't let them take all of the credit and keep up."

Ren's slashing dealt a crack in the face plate which Nora struck with a hammer. This created a large fracture in the grimm's face mask. With a roar, it swatted the duo off with a slap. They both caught themselves when they hit the ground.

Before the Colossus could strike Yang and Blake, its body seized up. The now cracked bone covering half its face was developing a purple aura as Glynda Goodwitch was clenching her fist with a look of total concentration.

"You've endangered my students and interrupted an important test. So you can crawl back to the depths of hell after you've faced my punishment!" The veins in Glynda's forehead pulsed as her rage was visible. She moved her fist as though she was crushing something in her hand.

The face mask shattered with Goodwitch's influence. Bone shrapnel rained as the Colossus was using its hand to try and keep its head held together. It's neck was exposed as Blake tossed her ribbon to Yang and they both swung around the creature's neck. After a loop, they landed on its shoulders and pulled the rope tight. It glowed purple as Goodwitch assisted.

"Set them up, Weiss!" Ruby called.

Many white glyphs appeared in the air all forming a sphere around Ruby. Using her semblance Ruby was bouncing from glyph to glyph to gain momentum. Rose petals were flowing everywhere. It appeared as though a white dome was holding back an avalanche of rose petals.

When Ruby was barely visible, Weiss knew it was her cue. Many of the white glyphs dispelled as one glyph was enlarged and changed black. Ruby sailed towards it and as she landed, it turned red before sending her flying. A red meteor soared towards the Colossus.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Ruby cried as she extended Crescent rose and aimed cut above the ribbon. With a resounding slash Ruby Rose cut through the Colossus's neck. Black gore sprayed everywhere as the girl was sent flying.

It was time to go, as Blake used Gamboul Shroud to swing herself and Yang down while Ruby smacked against the rock wall. The young hero fell down in an undignified heap.

"I'm okay!" Ruby quickly got up and ran to avoid the raining splatter of black substance.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGggggghhhhhhh!" The Colossus almost whimpered as it's body was falling apart. It's head sunk into the body as all of it's bones faded away. The Grimm shrank down and gathered all its separate parts back before receding down. It crawled back into the cave from whence it came.

Everyone was quiet as they looked on.

"We won." Blake announced.

"Oh yeah!" Nora cheered.

"Told ya we'd do it." Yang huffed.

"What are you talking about?! We barely have enough aura to heal a paper cut?!" Weiss complained.

"If even that much. I think mine broke a while ago." Ren added.

"And you!" Weiss pointed at Ruby. Said girl's eyes widened as Weiss began to stomp towards her.

"Wait, wait, wait! In my defense, how was I supposed to know I would get eaten by a huge slimy grimm monster! Tell her Yang! Come on, you wouldn't still be mad at your partner, would you?" Ruby stopped as Weiss hugged her.

"Be quiet." Weiss commanded as she held Ruby.

"Okay." Ruby didn't know what was happening.

Blake and Yang followed as they surrounded Ruby in a group hug. Each person had varying expressions. Weiss' face was scrunched up like she was trying to keep her eyes closed. Blake held a content smile. Yang was openly crying and crushing the other three with her monster strength. Despite everything, Ruby closed her eyes.

"Hugs are nice." She said contently. No one spoke up after that.

"So, what about the test?" Except for Nora who was killing the mood.

"About that…." Glynda spoke up.

The students turned their attention to their teacher.

"...It goes without saying the test is over. If you passed or not…..that will be discussed with Headmaster Ozpin." Glynda's stern expression made everyone feel like they were in trouble. Considering she just said they would speak with the headmaster, it was smart to assume that they were.

"Uh oh." Ruby said.

————————————————————-

**AN**: I have been waiting to write this chapter for a very long time. Also, due to recent events I'll probably have more time to write these chapters. Which reminds me: everyone be safe, stay inside, and wash your hands.

Just so you know, yes, I did make up a new grimm as an enemy. It will be properly explained next time. What I can say now is that Colossus isn't it's official name.

The next chapter will be the last of the Introduction Arc, then we can move on to more original material now that all the set up is done.

**Next time: Team who?**


	9. TeamWho

**A/N: **For anyone who's curious I have recently modified chapter 1 and 2 to fix some errors and match how I write now. I did not really change anything story wise so you don't have to reread them. I plan to modify chapter 3 and 4 soon.

—————————————————————

Beacon Academy was just as impressive inside as it was outside. There were many halls that one could easily get lost in. A few led to some of the most expensive classrooms that were necessary to train huntsmen. The towers weren't for show either as they served as observation points for the school. The tallest of them was specifically reserved for the Headmaster's office. Overall, it was like something out of a kid's fantasy novel.

The young huntresses-in training were being escorted to Ozpin's office. After the test ended and all the other students were accounted for, the students not involved in the Colossus incident were waiting down below. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were currently standing in the elevator with Miss Goodwitch; a lack of elevator music made this encounter almost awkward as the students shuffled nervously. Ruby in particular looked almost guilty while Goodwitch wasn't looking at any of them.

"So where are those other guys? That Nora chick seemed fun." Yang commented.

"Miss Valkyrie and Lie Ren have already been briefed by Ozpin. They are to extend the information to Miss Nikos and Mr. Arc who are currently in the medical wing. Why did you think I waited until now to call upon you four?" Miss Goodwitch explained.

"Honestly, teach? I thought it was just to make us sweat. Not me though; I'm kinda used to this." Yang responded.

"Why am I not surprised that you have been in this situation before." Weiss commented. She did not have enough self-awareness to realize the same thing had happened to her.

"Hey! I thought we were cool, Ice Queen?" Yang remarked with a smirk.

"What?" Weiss sneered.

"Just chill……...get it?" Yang joked.

"You think this is funny?" Weiss turned to Yang who still held a satisfied smirk.

Blake rolled her eyes at the inevitable fight. Then Ruby interrupted them. "Come on, guys. Let's just get this over with."

They remained silent after that. The elevator continued to run. It was going brutally slow.

"Wanna hear a joke?" Yang asked.

"Enough. We're here." At Goodwitch's statement the elevator opened up to reveal Ozpin's large office.

"Miss Goodwitch. Ladies, have a seat." The man himself was seated at his desk with a coffee mug in his hand.

The group of girls saw there were enough seats so they listened to his request. Glynda stood at Ozpin's side giving her best "teacher glare" to the group. Ruby could not help but shrink at that intimidating look.

"So where do I begin?" Ozpin asked rhetorically.

"Well um……" Ruby didn't know it was rhetorical.

"From the camera feed and the testimony that you have given Miss Goodwitch, I believe we have a firm grasp of the situation." Ozpin interrupted her.

"Sir!" Weiss stood up. "I'm willing to take full responsibility for this misfortune of events. Ruby was my partner and I put her and everyone else in danger." Weiss proclaimed. Yang and Ruby looked surprised while Blake maintained her stoic expression.

"Sit down now, Miss Schnee." Glynda narrowed her eyes at Weiss. Weiss got the message and sat down feeling upset with herself for such an outburst. There was a lot of guilt that weighed down her mind.

Ozpin spoke up again. "Considering this all happened during an exam, and the fact that you willingly went out of your way to disobey Miss Goodwitch, I only have one thing to add." The group prepared themselves for the bad news.

"I am truly sorry." Ozpin said.

"What?" They all said out of surprise.

"Why are you all so shocked? Did you actually think I would expel the lot of you for defending yourselves? What gave you that impression?" Ozpin asked while smirking.

Ruby chose to speak up first. "It's just that Miss Goodwitch was all scary and strict about this!"

"Yeah! And she said there would be consequences or something." Yang added.

"I believe Miss Goodwitch was only trying to 'maintain appearances' as it were." Ozpin turned to her while Glynda only narrowed her eyes and pushed up her glasses. It almost seemed like she was blushing.

"Regardless, I must apologize for the events that have transpired. I will be taking full responsibility. It's the duty of the school and it's instructors to provide a safe environment for its students to learn. Yes, the exam was dangerous, as will be many other lessons in the future, but they are administered with the knowledge that you are in capable hands. Yet, a Grimm of unknown power and origin endangered everyone here. Instead of expelling you, I should be making sure that you do not feel so threatened that you would leave. To summarize, what happened today was very regrettable and I hope it doesn't change your mind about attending Beacon." Ozpin spoke. He sounded so sincere that the girls just had to believe his speech.

"Well thank you, sir." Ruby said.

"I won't let this scare me, Professor." Weiss said.

"What she said." Yang referee to Weiss.

"I'm not leaving either, but sir this raises a lot of questions." Blake spoke up. "Like what was that thing?"

"As I said, it was a Grimm of unknown origin. Further study will yield more results, but for now most of what we know is speculation." Ozpin answered.

"That thing was definitely not normal. It was freaking huge and it was almost like it kept getting stronger the more we fought it." Yang added.

"There was something else." Ruby stated.

"Something else." Ozpin questioned.

Ruby looked nervous, almost embarrassed as she summed up the nerve to speak about the effect the Colossus had on her. She did not want to sound silly saying that the monster scared her. Regardless, Ruby knew the information she held would be valuable. She steeled her nerves and spoke up.

"It was like I could feel when it was near, but I don't really know how to describe it." Ruby tried to explain it the best she could.

"You're going to need to specify." Ozpin stated. He was trying to encourage her.

"Well, it just gave me deja vu. It felt like someone I knew had died." Ruby paused after that. Everyone waited for her to continue as she collected her thoughts.

"It's like every bad feeling I've ever had came rushing back to me tenfold. That's the only way I can explain it." Ruby finished.

"I felt it, too." Everyone turned to Weiss. "At first I thought Ruby was only scared, but then it felt like these cold hands were latching onto me. It's like how you feel at a funeral. I just felt cold, empty, and…" Weiss stopped herself. She knew that continuing that train of thought would cause a scene.

"I didn't feel anything like that. I mean I was freaked out, but other than that I can't really tell you the difference." Yang said.

"Adrenaline helped me through the situation, but there might have been an outside influence." Blake added.

Ozpin folded his hands in front of himself in thought. After a few seconds, he turned to Glynda. "You felt it?"

"Yes, Sir." She answered.

"What? How did you remain so calm, Professor?" Weiss questioned.

"Experience." She did not clarify. Glynda's face remained neutral so everyone knew she would not add anymore to the conversation.

"My theory," Ozpin began, "is that this creature has a specific influence on those who have experienced death. It makes them relive, I wouldn't say memories, but sensations felt from those experiences. Almost like it wants to mentally disable prey. As to the size, I do not believe that is it's true form. What did you call it?"

The girls turned to each other. Blake rolled her eyes and answered. "Colossus."

"Hm. Appropriate. Well, I believe this Grimm can absorb others, Grimm or otherwise, and evolve itself depending upon that. It morphed its shape into this 'Colossus form' in order to escape the mountain. Also, when the Death Stalker and Nevermore were devoured, it developed stronger defenses."

"That's horrifying, and this lives right outside on the front lawn. Awesome. Just awesome." Yang stated sarcastically as she rolled her eyes with crossed arms.

"True but I believe this……...**Harbinger-**" Ozpin waited for their reactions to the new name. He could not see Glynda, but he could feel that she rolled her eyes. "...has retreated back into slumber."

"What makes you say that?" Blake asked.

"Professor Ozpin, that thing is out there and dangerous." Ruby spoke up.

"It's dangerous to go looking for trouble. While this is a problem, I do not believe it's a current threat." Ozpin took a sip from his cup.

"The whatever-it-is nearly killed Ruby along with the rest of us and you don't think it's a threat?!" Yang yelled.

"Calm down, Miss Xiao Long." Goodwitch reprimanded. Her eyes narrowed as Yang glared back at her.

"It's alright, Miss Goodwitch. Sorry for being vague. To avoid further confusion, let me be more clear. The sense of death that Miss Rose and Miss Schnee experienced, due to your testimony, I can now say for certain that I also felt the effects of the Harbinger for roughly a year now." The group was particularly shocked at this.

_'I fell apart after going near that monster and ended up getting eaten. He's actually held those feelings back all this time?' _Ruby was impressed but slightly horrified at the implications.

_'It took us to be in the same area as the Harbinger to feel the effects, but Professor Ozpin sensed it from all the way back at Beacon. If that's the case, then that means… How many people has he seen die?' _Weiss's train of thought was similar to Ruby's, but she was mostly horrified than impressed.

Their attention turned back to Ozpin who continued speaking. "That feeling is gone now. We know the Harbinger is not dead, but I can no longer feel its presence either. This says that the Harbinger has likely gone into a recovery period from it's injuries. Most likely it will be a long time before it resurfaces. Until then we cannot afford to waste huntsmen on an expedition into the caves and rouse it from slumber…..again." Ruby and Weiss looked guiltily at that comment.

"So what? It's not a problem until it becomes one?" Blake replied.

"I've always been fed the presumption that I give helpful advice. Miss Belladonna take heed of this: learn to pick your battles." Ozpin was not trying to reprimand Blake, but she looked away in submission. She clearly understood a hidden meaning to that statement. Yang noticed this and made a mental note.

"Before I move on to the next topic of conversation, does anyone have more questions? Ozpin asked.

"Yes, sir. Just one more thing that was very… obscure I guess, about this whole ordeal." Weiss said. "Throughout the battle we could barely harm the Harbinger. Any damage we dealt it recovered from instantly. We would have died if not for the bright light that appeared out of nowhere. You all saw it right?" She asked the room.

"I was pretty close to the thing so it was blinding, no pun intended." Yang commented.

"Thank you for that, Yang. After that the Grimm was falling apart like hot wax off a candle. I would really, really like an explanation for that."

Instead of answering, Ozpin turned to Ruby. "You were there in the literal belly of the beast, Miss Rose; at the epicenter when the light appeared. Do you know where it came from?" Ozpin asked Ruby.

Ruby looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself. _'Would anyone believe what I saw?' _ She thought.

Ruby had a past of telling unbelievable truths. She decided to tell a believable lie instead. "No, Sir. It showed up and next thing I knew, I was catching Yang from falling. That's all I remember, sorry."

"Hm. Unfortunate, but it's no cause for concern. Let's put a pin in this problem. I assure you that we will fulfill our duties and dispose of this Grimm like true huntsmen. All when the time is right. For now, I ask that you keep a sense of discretion about this matter. One could only imagine the panic if word of this incident was leaked. Can I count on all of you?" Ozpin looked to the girls as they turned to themselves.

Yang and Blake shrugged while Weiss nodded her head. Ruby turned to give their answer to Ozpin. "Yes, sir."

"Thank you. Now we should move onto another matter. Teams." Ozpin smirked.

Goodwitch decided to speak."The test was to find who could best work alongside each other in a dangerous scenario. Chaos was thrown into the mix since the relics you were tasked with finding were chess pieces. If two pairs found the same piece then they would be paired up as well. However, none of you actually recovered a relic. Technically speaking, you all failed."

"What?!" Ruby spoke while the others freaked out. "You said we didn't fail." She looked to Ozpin.

"I never said that. I simply said you were not to be expelled. Assumption is an unhealthy habit, please do not continue it." Ozpin sipped his mug.

_'But that's what you made it sound like!'_ They all thought.

"Sir, please, I can't afford to fail the first exam!" Weiss pleaded.

"There has to be something we can do? A make up test? I hate make-up tests, but I'll do it if I have to……..unless?" Ruby probed.

"Unless you were to complete some team-based extracurricular activities. Frankly, it's your only option." Ozpin looked amused. He clearly knew something.

Blake noticed that. "Team-based? Does that mean what I think it does?" The girls turned to each other.

"No way!" Weiss disliked this.

"Yes!" Ruby loved it.

"Yeah?" Yang was conflicted.

"Please stop beating around the bush, sir." Glynda told Ozpin.

"Oh, alright. Due to the specific circumstances around the 'Harbinger incident' and your teamwork……...I now pronounce you all Team RWBY."

"Team who?" Yang questioned.

"Led by Ruby Rose." Ozpin had finished.

Ruby's eyes went wide as the other girls stared at her. Yang looked ready to cry like a proud mother. Blake smiled pleasantly for her friend. While Weiss was processing the information.

_' AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!' _Weiss appeared calm but she was internally screaming. Being on a team with this group led by Ruby was a lot to process.

"Me?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes." Ozpin responded.

"Uh, why?"

"Well that should be obvious."

"I'm not supposed to assume." Ruby remarked.

"Indeed. Miss Goodwitch, please escort the rest of team RWBY to the medical wing while I discuss matters with their team leader." Ozpin requested.

Glynda turned to look at him instead of responding. She crossed her arms as if expecting an explanation. When one was not given she just huffed. "Follow me, girls."

Yang got up first. "Look who's moving up in the world. Try not to forget about us little people from up here, team leader." She began following Goodwitch.

"Oh come on, Yang! Don't leave me alone here!" Ruby begged.

Blake was next. "Congratulations, team leader." Blake teased as she followed behind.

"Not you too. I order you to stay and help me! Blake? What about you, Weiss? Partners, right?"

Weiss turned her nose at Ruby then followed the rest out. The elevator door shut as they descended.

"Traitors! See? How am I supposed to be the leader?" Ruby complained.

Ozpin chuckled. "That's quite an overreaction. You'll do fine."

"How do you know that? What if I'm no good? I could forget something then they would have to pay for my mistake. Maybe something worse, they could end up hating me for such a terrible job and never speak to me again!" Ruby was holding her head.

"Please don't have a panic attack in my office."

"I'm cool!" Ruby started breathing heavily through her nose. "This is kinda proving my point though."

At that Ozpin set down his mug. "Do you know what's in here, Miss Rose?"

"Uh? Coffee?" She guessed.

"It's tea actually. Due to health concerns I'm trying to cut back on the caffeine. I still drink from the mug simply because it's my favorite." Ozpin explained.

"But tea still has caffeine in it?" Ruby questioned.

"Baby steps. We all have our vices. No one is perfect just like how there are no perfect leaders. Today is an example of one of my many failures to lead. Yet, I am still the Headmaster of one of the most prestigious academies in all of Remnant." Ozpin looked downcast at that.

"Wow. That must be lonely. That, and very stressful." Ruby related.

"That's the burden of leadership. However, if I can handle that, then you should be able to lead a huntress team."

Ruby gripped her cloak as if to hide her insecurities inside it. "I'm only fifteen, and I'm not the best student. Today is an example of that." She paraphrased Ozpin. "Honestly, maybe in a few years I could do it, but I don't think I'm ready."

"Those chosen rarely make the decision themselves, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Ozpin preached.

Ruby was struck by his words. "Wow. That was a really cool thing to say, sir."

"I hope so. It's from one of my favorite books. Though I was mostly paraphrasing."

"...oh." Ruby sounded disappointed.

"That doesn't make it any less true. There are many other inspirational quotes I can draw from if you prefer." Ozpin teased.

"No, thank you. I mean yes, thank you. That actually helped. The only thing I can do is be the best team leader I can be." Ruby proclaimed.

"Basically, that's what I said anyway. Now team leader before I send you off there's one more thing I need to know."

"What's that, sir?"

"What was inside the Harbinger?" Ozpin looked sternly at her. He knew there was more she wasn't saying.

"I-I can't remember." Ruby lied.

"Please do not treat me as a fool, Miss Rose."

Ruby swallowed and nodded. She looked uncomfortable as she spoke. "At first I couldn't see or even feel anything. I was just stuck in this perpetual darkness. I saw a light and followed it to an old memory." Ruby explained.

"Is it too personal to share?" Ozpin asked knowing the answer.

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not. I'm sure it isn't a pleasant memory."

"Also, I was forgetting things. Like why I was there and people too. It felt like I was completely lost." Ruby said.

"Then the light came?"

"Yes. I wasn't lying about that. I don't know where it came from." Ruby clarified.

"Hmm. "You have silver eyes". Remember when I said that?" Ozpin questioned.

"I guess? What do my eyes have to do with anything?" Ruby asked.

_'I see.'_ Ozpin thought.

"I was just checking your memory. It appears the effects have completely worn off. If I were to guess, these delusions were already apart of the Harbinger's power. It must have taken a lot of courage to break free from it's control." Ozpin commented.

"I feel like I was lucky."

"Sometimes that is enough. Now I feel like that's it for today. Go back to your new team and do some bonding. When the time comes, I will inform you of your 'extracurricular activities'." Ozpin dismissed Ruby.

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin." Ruby said sincerely. She exited the room through the elevator.

As the door closed Ozpin quickly covered his mouth and began to cough. The coughing began more violent as he reached for his pocket handkerchief to cover his mouth. When the coughing fit ended, Ozpin pulled it away to find blood.

"Damn." Ozpin reached under his desk to input a code on a cabinet.

It opened to reveal unmarked prescription bottles as he opened one. He swallowed two pills with his tea, and set the bottle back while locking the cabinet.

"Today was rather stressful."

—————————————————————

**Beacon Medical Wing**

"So there we stood, outnumbered-

"We outnumbered it-"

"outmatched as Ren cried out for a savior!"

" I did no such thing."

"Only for the brave and mighty Nora Valkyrie to descend from the heavens themselves! With a hammer in one hand, and a smile on her face, she protected her friend from the Grimm menace!"

These were the sounds that Jaune Arc was waking up to as his unconscious body began to come to. Jaune's eyes opened to find himself inside a large white room. He was laying on a bed covered in white sheets. Jaune turned to notice three other individuals in the room with one of them finishing what sounded like a fable.

"Thank you for explaining that to me. You even added in some parts that didn't happen…...I know because I was still awake during them. I still like your version!" Pyrrha nodded to Nora. Pyrrha was lying in a bed beside Jaune's.

"You're welcome!" Nora replied.

"Am I dead?" Jaune asked tiredly.

"I hope not. That would be pretty awkward." Nora commented.

"Okay! You don't have to shout at me." Jaune clutched his head.

"Who's shouting?" Nora questioned.

"Maybe it's the concussion?" Pyrrha theorized.

"No. Nora's just loud." Ren amended.

"Hey! Oops." Nora covered her mouth.

"Are you alright, Jaune?" Pyrrha winced as she stood up from her bed.

"Pyrrha! Get back in bed! You were hurt pretty bad." Jaune worried.

"I'm alright, Jaune." Pyrrha appreciated his concern, but kept talking. "My aura is beginning to return and heal my wounds. You suffered much worse. What with having awakened your aura for the first time." Pyrrha's face turned serious.

"Oh! Plot twist!" Nora whisper-shouted.

Jaune looked more confused than worried. "I awakened my aura?"

"Aura is usually awakened through training, but there are shortcuts." Pyrrha continued to explain. "It can be brought out by outside forces. Whether it's another person or a traumatic experience. For you, it was the latter. You unlocked your aura mid-battle and lended it to me. That's the confusing part though. I didn't know you could even do that."

"Maybe it's a semblance?" Ren questioned.

"Most Likely. The strain of awakening an aura along with your semblance would be very taxing. I'll be back to form in a few days but you, Jaune, won't be combat ready for at least two weeks."

"Oh… great." Jaune did not know what else to say.

"Jaune? Do you know what I'm talking about?" Pyrrha questioned as kindly as she could.

"No. If I'm being honest, I don't even belong here. I mean look how worthless I am." Jaune reprimanded himself.

"Jaune don't say that!" Pyrrha demanded.

"It's true though! I was riding your coattails for the entire test! Then, when real danger happened, I was no help. In the end, I was less than useless." Jaune proclaimed sorrowfully.

"And I thought you were depressing." Nora whispered to Ren.

"I'm depressing?" Ren looked surprised.

Pyrrha ignored them. "Jaune. Please look at me." Jaune did as she asked.

"You were not useless. We couldn't find a weak point, but you were able to formulate a plan of action. You reached so far inside yourself to find your courage and ended up unlocking your semblance; something that many still have not achieved. You used it to support me when I wasn't able to shoulder my own burden. If anything, I was the one who was useless." Pyrrha stated.

"Come on, you can't mean that." Jaune tried to convince her otherwise.

"I won't let you blame yourself. I'll shoulder the guilt myself." Pyrrha proclaimed.

Before Jaune commented, Ren spoke up. "I think we all share some blame."

"Why would you say that? You two were not involved for most of it." Pyrrha questioned.

"Exactly. We could have been there to help from the beginning. Instead, we fooled around in the woods playing with the Grimm while you were in danger." Ren stated.

"Also, I think that Nevermore crash did more harm than good. Sorry about that. I wanted to look cool." Nora scratched her head while looking ashamed.

No one said anything for several moments after that until Jaune began to laugh.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Nora looked embarrassed.

"Sorry." Jaune apologized. "I just realized that I should really get over myself. It looks like we're all a bunch of screw ups, eh?"

"That's a mean thing to say." Ren pointed out.

"Wait! That's not what I meant." Jaune tried to recover.

"You're trying to say that we can relate to each other?" Pyrrha asked.

"I guess so." Jaune said.

"Ha! That's funny. Who could say it better than our fearless leader." Nora included.

"Come again?" Jaune was confused again.

"It's a long story." Pyrrha said.

"Which I will gladly explain!" Nora began to recite the tale again. "For you see! The mighty Valkyrie and-"

"After the Grimm was taken care of, Ozpin made the four of us Team JNPR with you as the leader." Ren interrupted Nora and skipped to the end.

"Aw." Nora pouted.

"Say sike right now." Jaune could not believe this was happening.

_'I show up to Beacon with fake transcripts, performed horrendously, and was somehow made team leader? What hell is my life and who is controlling it?!' _Jaune thought to himself.

"Professor Ozpin would not have appointed you if he didn't believe in you. I do as well." Prryha tried to cheer him up.

"You're my kind of crazy if you can take on a giant, monster Grimm with no aura! I'll follow you anywhere, fearless leader!" Nora saluted Jaune. Jaune nervously saluted in return.

"You seem nice enough." Ren tried to complement Jaune.

"This is a lot to take in." Jaune felt overwhelmed. "I mean how can you guys even trust me? I clearly don't know what I'm doing."

"It's a learning experience for all of us. We are at school after all." Pyrrha smiled.

"Well I guess we have a lot to talk about." Jaune said.

"Later. We all need rest after today. Classes start soon." Pyrrha said.

"Crap." Jaune was not in the mindset to deal with classes.

—————————————————————

**Dorms**

The newly-minted Team RWBY left the medical wing the next day. They headed to their dorms while Team JNPR stayed behind with Jaune. They had missed yesterday's team coronation due to their injuries and their meeting with Ozpin. So they were simply instructed to go to their assigned dorm room. They walked inside to see that their luggage was already there crowding up the entire room.

"Geez, Ice Queen. How much stuff did you pack?" Yang gestured to all the white luggage with a snowflake emblem that she assumed belonged to the heiress.

Weiss ticked off her fingers to name the items. "Only the essentials. Clothing, dust, weapon cleaning kit, my shoes, makeup, all of my brushes-"

"All I brought was books. Why do you need thirty pairs of shoes? Do you plan to wear one each day of every month then start anew?" Blake inquired. She was clearly kidding, but with her monotone voice it was hard to tell.

"Don't be ridiculous. Can someone help me move my stuff?" Weiss asked.

"Why should we move your crap?" Yang questioned.

"Because apparently we are now teammates." Weiss answered.

"Oh yeah, that. Except, you're not the boss. Ruby is." Yang placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders and presented her to Weiss. Ruby waved nervously.

"I am aware of that." Weiss crosses her arms.

"Weiss. I didn't ask to be the leader." Ruby admitted.

"Obviously." Weiss added.

"Then, are we gonna be okay?" Ruby pleaded to Weiss as Blake and Yang looked on.

Weiss closed her mouth before she could speak to think about her answer.

_'It's funny. I'm not as mad as I should be. Just shocked really. Can't let her off that easy of course.' _Weiss thought.

"It wasn't my decision to make. It's as simple as that. I'll admit if were up to me I feel as though I would be the best choice-" Yang's scoff interrupted her.

"But!" Weiss continued. "After today, maybe I'm not ready for such a position. I'm disappointed, but I haven't earned the position so I have no right to complain."

"Oh. Well that's good to hear." Ruby smiled.

"Hold on. Don't think this is the end." Weiss walked up to Ruby. "I'll be the best possible teammate. I will continue to prove myself so that one day I can be presented with the position of leader. Until then, don't fall behind me. I'll be watching you in case you mess up. I will support you in any way that I can because I refuse to have an irresponsible team leader. Got it?" Weiss finished sternly.

"Yes sir! Oh, yes ma'am. Wait that's not right either." Ruby was caught off guard.

Weiss smiled. "You're welcome. It could be worse. I prefer you over some foolish boy." Weiss referenced Jaune.

Ruby mildly blushed at the comment. Weiss blushed too after hearing herself and how it can be misconstrued. She coughed into her hand to cover the slip up.

"I recommend we go find help. I'll see if team JNPR is willing to help unpack." Before anyone could object, Weiss briskly walked out of the room.

"What just happened?" Ruby turned to Yang.

"No clue. Guess being nice melted her." Yang commented.

"What a tsundere." Blake added.

"What?" Ruby and Yang questioned.

"Nothing. Come on you two can help me set up my books. If that's okay, team leader." Blake smirked.

"Oh, come on!"

————————————————————-

**Unknown location**

Away from the splendor of Beacon are the outskirts of Vale. At this time of night no one was awake, except for those who were up to no good. Much like the woman who was now entering what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse; there was no shortage of those in Remnant. Cinder Fall smiled as she flipped the breakers to turn the lights on. She continued to stalk into the warehouse aware that someone else was here.

"I admire your punctuality. After all, it's rude to keep a lady waiting. Then again, this was your idea. I hope you can appreciate that I made time for this little date. If you were anyone else, I would've fried you for the audacity." Cinder ignited a small flame in her hand to demonstrate.

"There is no need for threats." An ominous voice spoke out.

A man in a black coat stepped in light. Even with the bright spotlight Cinder could not make out his face. She was a little upset to hear that he carried a voice modulator.

The mysterious figure continued speaking. "What benefits me, benefits you. That's why I asked for your aid, and that's why you agreed."

"I'd prefer if you made this quick." Cinder said offhandedly.

"Of course. First, you secured the product from the recent SDC shipment, correct?" He asked.

"Roman told me there were complications, but he got the job done. Also before you ask, I haven't cracked it open. I didn't want to spoil the surprise." Cinder smirked.

"Measures must be taken before the product can be moved. Is Adam in place?"

"He and his Black Bulls have set up positions outside of the city. Though I have to ask: What does one have to do with the other?" Cinder questioned his intentions.

"What happened to not ruining the surprise?" He countered.

"Well that's the thing. I'm very kind as long as I get my way. Although, considering how you've called me out here and want to use my assets… It has me thinking you want your plans to take priority." Cinder still spoke calmly but the threat in her voice was heard.

Regardless of that, the man in the black coat calmly responded. "I can't tell you everything just like how you can not speak of your plans. There is no leverage I gain from this. We are merely equals, or does that thought disturb you?"

"If you're trying to ask me for a favor you are off to a very poor start." Cinder's eyes narrowed. Even though the figure was well mannered she felt as though they were looking down on her. For obvious reasons, Cinder did not appreciate that.

"As we previously agreed, my plans will disrupt Beacon and the city of Vale itself; leaving it a prime target for your schemes. I don't want Adam to play his role just yet, but He is a vauable piece that needs to be put in place. A few more weeks and I'll be more forthcoming." He assured.

"Such promises." Cinder decided to play nice. "Fine. On my command, Adam will fulfill your favor. Just ring the bell when you want the slaughter to begin. Then, your product can flood into Vale. If we're lucky, we don't have to see each other ever again."

"I thought we were getting along, Miss Fall?" He teased.

"Business. Never pleasure. That being said, before this is done I may ask you for compensation." She implied.

"Seems only fair. Well I've taken enough of your time. Goodnight, Miss Fall." He walked into the shadows.

Cinder was slightly unnerved that she couldn't feel his malicious presence anymore.

_'It's fine. As long as I play nice, he's nothing to worry about. Still, if I see my opportunity I'll crush him. By the end of the festival, Vale will be in flames.'_ Cinder mused.

——————**[ End of Introduction]**—————

**A/N:** So this is the official end of the introduction arc which followed the first several episodes of RWBY closely. Retreading ground was necessary to set up the story, but now that it's done we can move on to the real story.

**Next time: Black Bulls Arc**\- Extra Credit


	10. ExtraCredit

Life in the city of Vale was usually peaceful. The citizens were kept safe from the darkness that dwelled in the world: the Grimm. Unfortunately, Grimm was not the only evil in the world. Sometimes people do a fine job of being monsters themselves. At least, that is what experience had taught Detective Ember Wallace.

A prime example are the reports that Wallace is filing through. They are case files detailing encounters with the Faunes terrorist group, the Black Bulls. A separatist group from the White Fang that thought Sienna Khan was too soft on humans. Let that sink in: these guys think an anti-human organization was too reserved. Wallace visibly shook his head as he placed the latest report on his desk. Wallace began to rub his face as if to wipe the bags under his eyes. Since that failed he settled for a sip of cold coffee; he winced at the awful taste.

"Do you want another one, Ember?" A dark-skinned detective walked into the room then settled at his own desk across from Wallace.

"Palmer. It's Wallace, Detective, or Detective Wallace. The whole "wise-ass" rookie impression got old a week ago." Wallace hated his first name. He thought it was too feminine. Kind of silly for a big mustached, cop to be sensitive about his own name, but people have their own quirk.

"No, if I was doing that impression I'd say something like 'Hey old timer? Want a donut? No wait you don't need the calories.' On second thought you could use a pick me up." Palmer set down a box of donuts. He stuffed one in his mouth before offering one to Wallace.

"Hell no." Wallace rejected. "That'll kill my stomach. Not to mention the sit ups I'd have to do to work that off."

"Damn. Maybe you are old." Palmer was chewing on another donut.

"Did the graying hair give it away? Look you got something for me or are you just gonna let me do all the work?" Wallace gestured to his paperwork.

"When have I ever? Whatever. The answer is yes and no. There was another dust store robbery, but it was the Black Bulls again." Palmer retorted.

"How do we know for sure? Maybe a punk wanted some dust?" Wallace questioned.

"Two things. First, a calling card." Palmer pulled out his scroll and sent a file to Wallace.

Wallace's scroll beeped as he received the file. He opened it to reveal images of the crime scene. Including one that depicted a blood drawing of a bull on a wall.

"Please don't tell me that belongs to the shopkeeper?" Wallace rhetorically asked. He didn't mean to sound disenfranchised, but cases like this were becoming too common

"If it makes you feel better we got the guy. That's the second thing by the way. Some snake faunas who got a little fresh, but he wasn't expecting me to have a semblance." Palmer explained.

"If you caught him then why aren't you the one interrogating him? Do you even have an ID on the perp?"

"I tried to search for his likeness, but he was not in the system. Mercenary maybe? I sent Joel in there to play bad cop. After round one, I'll go in there, then you and me crack the guy in the third try." Palmer explained looking rather proud of himself.

"You watch way too much TV. None of the other Black Bull members we've incarcerated have broken so what makes you think this one will?" Wallace reminded himself that the last two detainees did not crack under pressure. Later on, they were transported to Atlas at the request of General Ironwood. Apparently the SDC wanted the handle the matter.

"...cuse he's a snake I guess." Palmer jokes.

"Even I know that's racist." Wallace teased. Crude humor aside along with all that has been going on, Ember Wallace had no problem with faunas. Neither did Palmer. There were so many faunas police that such prejudice would not only have been a waste of time but also counter-productive. This group was just the bad seed.

"You know you're gonna crash hard from that sugar, right?" Wallace countined.

"Not uff I keap eating." Palmer gurgled with his mouth full.

Suddenly, a loud crash reverberated throughout the station. More sounds like a fight erupted as officers around the station began to sit up and react. Wallace was the first as his fatigued expression vanished. He rushed for the interrogation room as Palmer spit out a donut and followed. Wallace accesses the metal door as it slides open to reveal the situation.

The snake faunas has Joel, a scrawny figured dark haired man, by the neck. His handcuffs laid unlocked on the ground. Joel continued to struggle, but that just made the faunas bare his fangs as an unspoken threat. If this man really did possess snake traits then that means only struggling will make the grip tighter and his fangs might be poisoned.

Wallace and Palmer immediately pulled out their service pistols. "Drop him!" Wallace ordered.

The criminal hissed. "How about you drop those guns instead? I'll appreciate the gesture so much that this moron here might make it out of here."

"Take the shot!" Joel yelled as he struggled only to gasp at the tightening grip.

"Sssssshhhhhh. Don't get any ideas? That includes you, human." He inclined his head at Palmer. "Don't come near me. I learned my lesson last time." He referenced to Palmer's semblance.

"You're not gonna make it out of this. Just put the officer down, and you can still get by with a light sentence." Wallace threatened.

"Not much of a negotiater are you? I guess that's my role then. I'm not talking but I'm defiantly not staying. So let me walk out of here or else there's gonna be a corpse to stink up your nice station!" The snake man bellowed out as he began walking forward as if to get out of the room.

"Last chance!" Palmer shouted.

"Drop him or get dropped!" Wallace threatened.

"Or what you'll shot-" The snake faunas's speech began to slow to a crawl.

At least only from Wallace's perspective as he activated his semblance. High perception allowed his brain to comprehend the flow of information much faster in high adrenaline situations. Not very flashy, but extremely useful. For example, Wallace noticed that in the middle of saying "shot" the thug peaked his head further from Joel's body. Wallace calculated where to shoot and what would have a better chance of hitting. The elbow seemed like a safe bet.

Wallace shot the snake's elbow and with his aura already being broken the terrorist cried out in pain. Joel then elbowed his captor in the ribs to gain distance as Palmer tacked the faunas to the ground. He violently struggled even as new handcuffs were placed on him.

"Stop! No, stop it. I can't fail him! You gotta let me go I can't fail him. He won't let me!" The snake faunas cried out in genuine terror has he was flanked by Wallace.

"Talk. Now. Is 'him' your leader? Where is he? You can stop this, just tell us." Wallace interrogated.

The snake faunas shook his head violently. "I can't let him know." He suddenly stopped with a look of concentration. A loud crack was heard as he used his strong jaw to break one of his fangs off. A small lightning dust crystal appeared only to be swallowed by him. His body began to shake as the dust activated and electricity raked his body.

"No no! What did you do?" Palmer exclaimed as he tried to hold on to the seizing criminal. It was even more horrifying for Wallace. With his semblance he could see when the snake man took his own version of the suicide pill, but his body could not react in time. So now he has to watch every spasm and twitch of the suspect's body; calculating everything that was happening but not thinking of a countermeasure.

Eventually his body went limp in Palmer's arms. "Get a medic in here!" He called out as he placed the faunas on the floor to resuscitate him. This was his case and responsibility. His chance to found out information behind these horrible attacks. He was not ready to give up.

Wallace holstered his weapon as Joel ran to call for emergency services. Wallace knew from his semblance that the suspect was most definitely dead from his heart stopping due to the intense shock. With that he almost solemnly walked out to disperse the crowd of officers just outside the room.

The trail was cold right at their first lead. Detective Wallace would have to hope for another before it was too late. After being on the job for so long, he developed instinct. The Black Bulls were planning something horrible. He just hoped that someone could stop them.

—————————————————————

**Beacon Academy- 2 weeks later**

"Ruby. Ruby? Ruby?! Dolt!" Weiss slammed her book on Ruby's desk to jolt the sleeping girl awake.

"Augh!" Ruby sprang awake in a brief panic at the loud noise. She quickly calmed herself. "I was paying attention!" Ruby lied.

"Then you would know that Professer Port's class ended two minutes ago." Weiss furrowed her brows. Weiss grimaced as she brought out a handkerchief. "Clean your face. That's revolting." She handed it to Ruby.

"Oh!" Ruby vigorously scrubes the handkerchief on her chin and left check. "Thanks!" Ruby smiles as she offers it back.

Weiss simply shook her head then walked out of the empty classroom. Ruby shrugged her shoulders and stuffed the handkerchief in her school jacket pocket. She followed Weiss outside where the rest of her team was waiting.

"Geez, sis. We all know by now that Port's stories are lame, but it's still rude to sleep over them." Yang teased.

"Yang, you were on your scroll the whole time." Blake pointed out. Ironically, Blake said this while looking at her own scroll.

"If you were watching me then you weren't paying attention either, eh Blake?" Yang looked smug at her counter argument.

"Your ego takes up the whole room. Try as I might I can't ignore it." Blake said with a still stoic expression.

"Ouch! My heart!" Yang gripped her jacket in an exaggerated fashion.

"Can we please just move on? We've wasted enough time as it is. At this rate we'll be late." Weiss interrupted.

"Keep your skirt on. Oobleck's class is literally down the hall." Yang continued to tease with a wide smile.

Weiss ignored her as she turned to Ruby. "It's bad enough your neglecting one class so you can't by late to another."

"Sorry Weiss." Ruby rubbed her head while being embarrassed. "I didn't fall asleep on purpose." Ruby tried to tug at her hood, but remembered that she wasn't wearing it. She has only been wearing it during practice.

"That's not an excuse!" Weiss exclaimed haughtily. "You set an example for the rest of us with your actions. You can't just procrastinate whenever you feel the need."

"Don't you think you're exaggerating, ice queen." Yang asked with the smile absent. "Who hasn't slept in class, especially this one."

"I never have. Also, this isn't the only time. Ruby has been caught sleeping five times this week. Lucky for her, if it was during Miss Goodwitch's class she would be in detention." Weiss lectured.

"Look I said I'm sorry." Ruby huffed. "You don't need to make a big deal out of everything I do."

"It's like in one ear and out the other with you. Your team leader so you need to take responsibility." Weiss insisted with a hand placed upon her hip.

"That's what I've been doing! I get sleepy and all of a sudden I'm irresponsible? What happened with all that talk about supporting me?" Ruby asked.

"It's a two way street, dolt!" Weiss exclaimed.

"What are you talking about? I don't even drive!" Ruby retorted.

"Are you kidding me?!" Weiss was visibly aghast that Ruby has taken her turn of phrase as literal. She still was not sure how to properly communicate with this spastic girl.

"Just back off, snow cone." Yang continued the nicknames as she stepped beside Ruby. "Save it for practice or something. After all, I thought class was so important that we couldn't be late."

Weiss looked ready to argue further but ceased. She simply breathed through her nose, held her head high and walked away.

"That girl's got issues." Yang huffed as she crossed her arms.

"That's not nice, Yang." Ruby replied.

'_I thought Weiss and I had found common ground, but we just kept pushing each other. Not only that, it looks like Yang and Blake don't want to even try either.'_ Ruby thought sadly.

"Whatever. Miss highness as been nothing but a pain. Why would you wanna put up with that?" Yang asked honestly confused why her little sister takes up for Weiss.

Ruby hung her head. "I just want everyone to get along, alright?" Yang's expression softened at Ruby's words.

Blake decided to speak up. "You aren't sleeping are you?"

"Didn't we just have an argument about that?" Ruby crossed her arms defensively.

"I mean at night." Blake rephrased. "I don't want to admit it, but Weiss is right. You haven't been sleeping properly and now it's affecting your classes."

Yang out her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "That true, Rubes? You're not having nightmares again are you?"

Ruby shrugged her hand off. "Can we talk about this later? We're gonna be late." Ruby deflected. She began walking to her next class where Weiss is certainly fuming.

"I don't like this." Yang stated simply.

"In my experience, if she's going through something then she'll tell us when she's ready." Blake tried to reassure Yang.

"You sure about that?" Yang turned to Blake with accusatory eyes. She found the statement from the almost silent faunas to be hypocritical.

If Blake was offended she didn't show it. "Let's just go to class." Blake followed after.

Yang huffed. "When is the freaking weekend gonna get here?"

————————————————————

**Dorms**

"Y'know Pyrrha, you don't have to be with me all the time?" Jaune spoke up. He was currently laying on his bed in their dorm. Jaune was released from the medical wing last week, but was still undergoing recovery. The strain that his body went through was still being healed by his aura. In the meantime, he has been trying to catch up on missed assignments.

"Oh. Do you not want me around?" Pyrrha asked. She sounded a little hurt.

"No! I mean you have other stuff to do besides baby sit me. Instead of checking in for a tutoring session with me, you can just go and hang with the guys. Nora said something about going to see……..a rainbow? Actually maybe you need to go supervise." Jaune advised.

"I'm sure Ren can handle Nora better than I. You on the other hand need my help." Prryha insisted witch a chuckle.

"Oh come on. I may be bed-ridden but I'm not completely helpless." Jaune straightened his back as if to prove his point.

"Okay. What was the year when General Burnie assaulted Fort Diamond?" Pyrrha crossed her arms as she inquired.

"...um……...let me think if there's a song about that." Jaune scratched his chin.

"Jaune."

"Fine I'm not a historian. I gotta do something on my own though." Jaune lay sprawled on his bed.

"Being a part of a team, also being a leader, means you can't do everything alone. Whether it's taking care of your health or studying. You've already been open about your past. Now you need to accept your own limitations." Pyrrha explained.

"Please tell me more about how inadequate I am." Jaune whined sarcastically.

Pyrrha didn't rise at that. "I'm just trying to help."

"Look I hear you, and thanks but I'm sorta having a bad go of it. So can you just indulge me?" Jaune insisted.

"So because you're cranky you believe this gives you an excuse to shut people out?" Pyrrha's voice rose at this point.

"No! Yes-maybe? I don't know!" Jaune took his pillow and huffed into it. When he was done he placed it down.

"I'm sorry. I'm being a jerk. I guess I feel…..guilty." Jaune looked sullen.

"Still?" Prryha questioned. "I don't know what other way I need to say this Jaune. You are not a burden." She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I definitely feel that way sometimes." Jaune still looked away.

Pyrrha pulled her hand in her lap to clasp hands. Her eyes remained focused as she thought of the best phrasing to use in this conversation.

"You just need to build your self confidence. Once that happens you'll feel a little more open to help. Being proud of yourself and your ability will not only help yourself, but the team as well." Pyrrha explained.

Jaune nodded weakly. "Alright. How do I do that exactly?"

"Training. That always helped me with my own anxieties." Pyrrha smiled.

Jaune looked up at her surprised then held up two fingers. "First, you have anxiety?!" Jaune could not possibly imagine this amazon having any kind of insecurities.

Pyrrha looked a little nervous as she answered. "I mean doesn't everyone? Not to go into too much detail, but I still have issues with certain people and their……..reactions to me. It was why worse back at Haven, but I found that building yourself up can only make you stronger. That includes an area like anxiety. Now I can more or less handle my nerves whenever I need to. You can too."

"Alright. Second, are you talking about tutoring or……..exercise." Jaune tried to phrase it.

"It can be both. Though I mostly meant training how to properly fight." Pyrrha stood up from her seat. "If you feel so guilty about falsifying your transcripts then do something about it. Everyone has to start somewhere Jaune, but I know that you're capable. After all, you've already done so much." Pyrrha spoke honestly. She held Jaune's gaze as she spoke to him like this and couldn't help but feel excited. She wasn't sure what this small feeling meant; only that it was nice.

Jaune returned Pyrrha's haze with less confidence. His palms tightened on his pant's leg. "I don't want to hold you back, but after what happened and seeing that I'm not ready yet I really don't think I have a choice. I want to get stronger and prove myself if you'll have me."

Pyrrha's smile became more welcoming somehow. "When you're feeling better just tell me when you are ready."

—————————————————————

**Later that day**

"Okay. Let's see……..go fish?" Ruby meekly called out while looking at her cards. Currently, the RBY portion of the team is back at their dorm for the day playing with a deck of cards. They were still in their uniforms sitting on the floor away from their precarious bunk beds: one held up by rope and the other by books. Weiss was outvoted when this brilliant arrangement happened on day one.

"Rubes you do know we're playing poker, right?" Yang asked confused.

"What? I don't know how to play that. When was this decided?" Ruby inquired. She placed down her cards.

"I thought we were playing blackjack." Blake's cards weren't even in her hand.

"I literally said 'let's play poker' right as I passed the cards out! Was no one listening?" Yang tossed her cards and put her hand on her chin in a pout.

"Sorry, Yang. I guess I'm just having a long day." Ruby rubbed her eyes.

"Well what's your excuse, Blake?" Yang asked.

Blake stood up and went to retrieve a hardcover book. "Just got my mind on other things I guess."

"Care to share?" Yang was picking lint from the floor but you could tell she wanted a real answer from Blake.

"Nope." Blake sat on her bed and opened the book.

"Okay this crap is getting old." Yang stood up with her arms crossed. "Ruby's not sleeping and you're being…….well you. Except now it's not okay. What's the deal here?"

"I don't have a problem. Ruby is the one keeping secrets." Blake deflected.

Ruby looked nervous at this. "It's just some insomnia. No big whoop. It'll go away."

Yang looked sympathetic as she went down to eye level with Ruby. "You're not having nightmares about……..'you know who' again, right?" Yang whispered. She knew from experience Ruby had issues with sleep in the past. When they were little she would constantly have nightmares about their mother.

"I haven't gotten those in years I'm fine, I swear." Ruby wasn't technically lying.

_'I feel bad about not telling them what I saw in the colossus. That being said, Ozpin implied I should keep this to myself. There's a lot about what happened that I don't understand. So until I have some answers I can't spring all my problems on them.'_ Ruby monologues. That's what she told herself. Internally, she was scared that if she mentioned her experience that she would only be met by disbelief. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Rubes, you can talk to us. That's what team's do." Yang insisted.

"Then shouldn't we do this with Weiss here?" Ruby deflected. She was concerned with where Weiss was, and hoped the heiress wasn't still spiteful.

Yang huffed. "Not like the Ice Queen would be interested. She's still at the library being stuffy."

"Yang that's not fair. You have to get along with Weiss. I know she's difficult but she's part of the team." Ruby said.

"She doesn't act like it." Blake decided to speak up. "She never wants to do anything with us. All she does is go study in the library and lecture us. At least I'm here." Blake's comment might have been bias because of who Weiss was. If Blake was self aware of that fact she didn't voice it.

"Am I interrupting?" Weiss stated as she opened the door. She had her usual scowl on. "Miss Goodwitch found me in the library. Headmaster Ozpin wants to see us about our extra credit assignment. We can't be late." She stalked off.

The three teammates looked at each other and followed along. Ruby whispered to Yang. "Do you think she heard us?" Ruby didn't want to upset Weiss even more.

"If she did she definitely would've said something. Let's just put a pin in that last conversation." Yang followed along behind Blake as Ruby caught up.

—————————————————————

**Ozpin's Office**

The elevator opened to reveal Team RWBY as they entered the office. Weiss strutted forward ahead of everyone while Ruby sped up to follow. Yang casually walked out after finishing picking her ear with Blake rolling her eyes at the act. The group stood in front of Ozpin's desk to find him casually sitting, but with a fuming Glynda to his side. The group thought it would be in their best interest to ignore that.

"The team is assembled, Professor." Weiss introduced the group as though they have never been in this situation before. Maybe she took the fact that they were sent here without breaking rules as an accomplishment. Which is ironic when you think about it.

"I can see that Ms Schnee. I assume everyone is paying attention in their classes." Ozpin asked rhetorically.

"Of course. We must maintain standards after all. Weiss replied. Ruby and Blake simply nodded while Yang waved her hand in the "sorta" motion.

"Of course. Well in case you were slipping then I shall remind you that while this is a punishment it is also an optional grade. If you succeed you shall receive a bonus to your final grade. However, if you fail then nothing shall be stripped away. Although I recommend you all come out of this adventure on top." Ozpin sipped his cup.

Ruby remembered that Ozpin said he was trying to quit coffee so her mind wondered what he was actually drinking. More tea? This distracted her from answering so Weiss not so subtlety elbowed her side.

"Oh! Yes sir! So what's the assignment? Volunteer work? Helping to tutor? Oh! Is it weapon cleaning?!" Ruby's eyes sparkled at that last suggestion.

"None of the above." Ozpin pressed a button on his scroll so that a projector could display an image of a village.

"We've received some odd reports of illegal activity around this new settlement, **Valliant."** Red trail markers appeared to encircle the town at Ozpin's description. Bull head indicators displayed as a legend to identify the assailants. "Has anyone heard of the new anti-human group, the Black Bulls?"

RBY looked at each other as Weiss chose to answer. "I've read news reports about them. They are a White Fang splinter group that segregated roughly a year ago. Their operations were mostly focused in Mistral, until 4 months ago they began operations in Vale. Last I read, they were involved in numerous Dust store robberies and homicide cases." Weiss gave all this factual information while remaining stoic. Although you could tell that towards the end of her speech she was slightly fuming.

"I could not have phrased it better myself. Eye witnesses have spotted several groups of Black Bulls in this area close to Valliant. We believe they move to attack the settlement." Ozpin explained.

"Well that doesn't sound good." Yang remarked. She looked over at Blake who simply stared forward.

"Would those animals really attack human settlements? Who do these terrorists think they are?" Weiss exclaimed.

"A very radical minority." Ozpin continued. "The plan is for your team to be transported via bullhead. You will land 10 miles outside Valliant where you will proceed to scout ahead and report any findings."

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed. "Hold on. This is a mission? Our mission?!"

Blake finally spoke. "Sir, we are barely into our training. How are we qualified for what's obviously a huntress mission."

"My thoughts exactly." Goodwitch muttered.

"Glynda." Ozpin said warningly. Everyone noticed the tension between the two but decided to ignore it again.

Ozpin continued. "You have all proven yourselves to be exceptional. I have no doubts about you completing a simple recon mission." The display showed a green marker. "The day after you will all meet at this evacuation point 5 miles east of your drop zone. There another bullhead will attract you, and you will return to the academy before Monday." The display blinked off. "Just be aware that you will most likely encounter Grimm so be wary of that. Anything else?" Everyone was floored by this information, even Weiss. They really had no question to ask.

"Alright. If that's the case then would you mind stepping outside Miss Schnee." Ozpin requested.

Weiss scoffed then quickly recovered to maintain face. "Sir, why am I being excused?" She questioned with her arms crossed.

"Not to worry Miss Schnee. You are not being excluded; this is simply a personal matter. Would you please?" Ozpin gestured as kindly as possible.

"But….but I-"

"Please, Weiss. I swear this only take a second." Ruby pleaded. She didn't like the thought of excluding Weiss, but Ruby had a feeling that if this involves the Black Bulls then that includes Blake's secret. Which Weiss doesn't no about yet. Guilt wrecked her as she saw a brief mix of surprise and hurt cross Weiss's eyes. The look vanished as Weiss simply closed her eyes, tilted her chin and walked into the elevator.

After she left Ozpin spoke up. "Forgive me. I just assumed that she was not informed about Miss Belladonna's circumstance. It hasn't been very long since you all meet her after all."

"No, we haven't said anything. What's this about." Blake responded in a clipped time.

"I just wanted to ask if you are comfortable with this mission. Given your past, I just wanted to make sure." Ozpin asked with a empathic look.

"I'm good. I won't lie about this being personal, but I won't compromise what has to be done." Blake assured. Yang and Ruby nodded as though to reinforce her statement.

"Very well. Get some rest. Detail your plans. Check weaponry. Act like a team, and this will be the first of many victories. Good luck." Ozpin smiled.

The rest of Team RWBY nodded and left for the elevator. Yang wore a look of excitement, Blake looked nervous, and Ruby was a mixture of both. Tomorrow would be a long day for them.

As they left Ozpin turned to Glynda. "Was that remark really necessary, Miss Goodwitch. Doubt isn't good for their nerves."

Glynda Goodwitch maintained her scowl. "Sir, I've already made my point and you choose to ignore it. However, I won't stay quiet about this."

"Of course. I would not expect anything less, however I assumed you of all people would be more supportive." Ozpin grabbed his cane and stood up to look out of his window overlooking the campus. "As you would say. They are not children, but students."

"Yes. They're students; First-year students. It would make more sense to send an older team like CVFY. It's barely been a month and you want to throw them to the beowolves." Glynda dismissed. She turned to face Ozpin's reflection in the window like she was speaking to it.

"The Colossus incident proved my gut instinct. These are talented young people who will grow faster with more experience. Yes, they have more than a few rough edges but that's what this is for. To iron them out." Ozpin sipped his mug.

"With all due respect, I've always supported most of your decisions because I trust you, and I can't say that about many people." She glared at his reflection hoping he'd notice. "But this is foolish. Why are you trying to rush? Pressed too hard on a lump of coal and instead of turning into a diamond it'll break." Glynda reprimanded.

"I am well aware of my own metaphors, thank you." He said almost sarcastically. "The events two weeks ago prove my point that we need to act now. We can't wait any longer as more enemies arrive to threaten Vale with fewer defenders left to protect it."

"Fewer defenders?" Glynda grew a look of realization. "This is about Amber isn't it?"

"More or less." Ozpin turned to address Goodwitch.

"My gods. You can't be serious Ozpin. I know her odds are not well, but I thought that if the worst happens then Miss Nikos would make a decent candidate." Gyndla expressed.

"She does, but I've already laid bare about my interests in Miss Rose. Why are you acting so surprised." Ozpin sat his mug down.

"Because I thought it was all hypothetical!" Glynda raised her voice as she stepped closer to Ozpin. "Just because she has the silver eyes doesn't make her the right choice. She's still too young and inexperienced. If we were to bring this responsibility on her, then I don't believe she would be able to handle it."

"You believe Prryha Nikos would fare any better. Personally, I think their chances are roughly even at best." Ozpin proposed. He pushed his glasses up as he met Glynda's glare with his own passive expression.

"I'm not going to pretend to know Miss Rose on a personal level, but even I can tell that girl is hanging by a thread. The thought of making her into…...a maiden is too cruel. She'll break. She'll break and it will be our fault." Glynda maintained her glare.

"My decision is final, Glynda." Ozpin sat down. "A maiden with silver eyes is too much of an opportunity to pass. Miss Rose is stronger than you think. You say her experiences have made her fragile, but I believe she is being molded into something unbreakable. All I ask from you is a little more faith in your students."

"You know that's not what this is about." Glynda turned to walk away. "I'm willing to accept the day when I'm proven wrong, but are you?" She strolled into the elevator.

Ozpin signed as he buried his hand on his face. He breathed into it harshly then pulled it away to pick up his cup. There was still half a cup of coffee left. "Old habits." He continued to drink.

—————————————————————

**Outside of Valliant **

A camp was set up just outside of the human settlement. Vaillant recently built due to the discovery of a surplus of rare dust in the area. It's purpose is to mine the mineral so that it can be transported to Atlas. Which makes sense considering the whole operation was funded by the SDC. Instead of letting them build a factory, the government of Vale compromised with Atlas on this experiment of a settlement for their populace.

Whatever their mining the SDC wants to keep it a secret so the agreement benefited them. Atlas gets its dust, Vale gets a settlement, and everybody wins. Although in this situation the only one who would be profiting would be Adam Taurus. He was currently resting on a bench and sharpening his katana "Wilt" as he laid his rifle scabbard "Brush" across his lap. Sparks flew from the blade as he slid the whetstone across.

His black Grimm-like mask had protruding horns that almost overshadowed his own horns. His head looked away from his work at the sound of an approaching faunas. "Report." Adam questioned.

"Their defenses are significant, sir. The large steel wall makes a frontal assault difficult. Not too mention the large force of SDC robots they have on standby. They outnumber us three to one and hold the strategic advantage." The scout reported. He stood attentive as he relayed the message; stiff as a board. Whether it was out of fear or respect Adam did not care.

"That's all." Adam smirked. He stood and sheathed wilt.

"Yes, sir?" The scout said confused.

"Yes. We got something on the inside." Adam pulled out a black scroll. "Three to one you say? With those robots it'll be four to one in our favor. Report to Illya. Tell her we attack in two hours." Adam pocketed the device.

"Yes, sir!" The scout ran off.

Adam made his way to his own personal tent. He opened the flap which revealed what laid inside. A detailed map of the area along with photographs that included other parts of Vale; even Beacon.

_'I'll admit I wasn't happy when I was sent out here, but now I see things differently. This assault will give me all the troops and dust I could want. Once this is done, that human, Cinder, can fulfill her role and let me find my beloved again.' _Adam pulled away one of the photos revealing that it was Blake, more specially Blake with Yang.

'_I just need a little time with her. Make her see that she was wrong. That this is the only way. I can't just give up on her yet.'_ Adam thought as he tore the picture leaving only the Blake portion. He then pocketed the item.

"I'll see you soon, beloved."

—————————————————————

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait. Things have been crazy in the world, but I hope everyone is doing fine.

I decided to reveal Detective Wallace's semblance early: High perception. Not really a flashy or even creative semblance. I felt that for that reason it would be perfect for a police officer who deals with humans rather than a huntsman who mostly fights Grimm. It's based off of VATs from fallout. I chose not to reveal Palmer's semblance yet because I want a big moment to do so. I know these OCs may seem inconsequential now especially since they have barely appeared, but they'll have a role to play later on.

For those that remember the snake faunas in holding was the same one from chapter 3. I had more plans for him but I thought he was too boring so I fridged him for shock value.

Before anyone says I'm being to mean to Weiss or bashing I'm trying not to. I know from experience that being the new member of a group can be difficult. Sometimes when you're not familiar enough with people it can resolve a communication breakdown. For example, Weiss feels left out because the rest of the team is keeping Blake's past a secret. She knows they treat her differently and she doesn't like that. Also, if the part where Ozpin asked her to leave felt a little forced that's simply because of a lack of context. By that I mean it'll make more sense in the next chapter.

Please review and let me know what you think.

**Next time: **Field Trip


	11. FieldTrip

"So that we are clear: the plan after we land is to run ahead, 'kick butt', build a campfire, then go home. Did I miss anything?" Weiss Schnee asked sarcastically.

Team RWBY, while dressed in their "huntress" attire was currently in a bullhead heading towards their destination. 10 miles from Valliant just like Ozpin had briefed them. Weiss was just trying to understand what Ruby's plan for the group was. She was staring while holding onto a rail like the others except her available hand was on her cocked hip.

"C'mon, Weiss that's not what I meant." Ruby corrected. She was smiling as though Weiss just told a joke. "We land, split off into two groups so we can cover more ground, kick Grimm butt." She emphasized. "Then after our first mission we bond over a team building exercise: camping." Ruby's smile was showing teeth.

Weiss queried her brow. "How's that differ from what I said?"

"Cuse the way I said it makes it fun. That's cuse it will be!" Ruby defended.

"Someone must've gotten some shut eye." Yang commented.

"I'm just really excited. I mean I'm nervous, but excited. My first mission as team leader." Ruby's face fell upon realization. "It's my first mission as team leader."

"There it is." Blake commented on the fact that Ruby's nervousness settled in.

"Calm down, you dolt. As long as you listen we'll do fine." Weiss was trying to reassure Ruby.

"Don't you mean as long as we listen she'll do fine?" Blake asked.

"I know what I said." Weiss responded.

"You do remember that Ruby is the leader, right?" Yang crossed her arms while glaring at Weiss.

"Of course she is, and I'm her partner. I'm just trying to assist." Weiss answered factually.

"Sure you are." Yang couldn't tell if her answer was honest or not. So she just assumed Weiss was lying even if she wasn't.

"Thanks for the support, bestie!" Ruby raised a thumbs up. Weiss simply rolled her eyes in response. Sometimes Ruby would call her bestie to see if the nickname stuck. If Weiss has any say then it would never stick. Suddenly, the bullhead launched forward. Everyone held on but was now gripping the railing tightly.

"What's happening?" Ruby called out to the pilot.

"There's a Griffon on our tail. It's swiping at the engines." After he said that the transport forcibly moved again at the sound of twisting metal. This caused the group to fall to the floor. Blake and Yang were fine although Ruby landed on Weiss who gave out a short yelp.

"Are you okay, Weiss?" Ruby raised her head to ask Weiss.

Weiss grit her teeth. "I will be when your weapon isn't digging into my hip!"

"Ugh! Sorry." Ruby stood in a flash then helped Weiss.

Blake turned to the pilot. "Can you lose it?"

"I doubt it. I think we're in the it's territory. It won't stop until we've turned back." The pilot explained as he struggled with the flight controls. The bullhead was tossed again as the Griffon slammed its body against the hull.

"Why don't we just blow birdie out of the sky?" Yang exclaimed.

"Not a good idea." Blake stated. It should be obvious that they were at a disadvantage in the air against the Griffon.

"I agree. I'm not in the mood to duel with a flying Grimm. That's not our objective." Weiss added.

"Well we can't turn back. We just started! What do we do?" Yang asked.

Ruby held her hand on her chin in a thinking position. Then she looked at her team. "Why don't we just jump?"

"What?!" Weiss screeched.

"How is this any different than initiation?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"We are much MUCH higher in the air!" Weiss looked at Ruby like she was crazy.

Ruby thought that this was typical for huntresses. "I mean if our landing strategy is good enough we should be okay."

"It'll be fine. I love skydiving." Yang smirked.

"Skydiving is with a parachute! Also, we are nowhere near our target. If we jump, and if we make it who knows how long it'll take us to reach our destination." Weiss corrected.

The bullhead lurched again. Blake spoke. "We turn back or we jump; those are our options."

"Weiss. We need to do this." Ruby pleaded.

Weiss looked nervous but steeled her nerves. "Fine let's put it to a vote. All in favor-" Just like with the bunk beds Weiss was outvoted as the rest of the team raised their arms in approval. Weiss gave them a deadpan stare.

_'Today is going to be hard for me, isn't it?_' Weiss asked herself. "Fine."

Yang pressed a large button close to the sliding door as a loud noise was emitted to signal it sliding open.

"What the hell are you girls doing?" The pilot called back.

"Extra credit." Yang replied. She walked to the now open door that led out into the expanse of open sky. The team stood beside her to look outside.

"So how do we do this. Do we all hold hands? Go in pairs. What is the plan?" Weiss asked nervously.

"This." Yang pushed Weiss out of the bullhead as she screamed bloody murder on the way out.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed. She then turned to her smirking sister. Ruby crossed her arms with a furrowed brow: the same pose you use to scold a child.

"It's faster this way. Plus, that was totally worth it." Yang pulled out her aviators then winked as she jumped after Weiss.

Ruby turned to Blake almost awkwardly. Blake simply gestured like "ladies first" so Ruby nodded, pulled her hood up, and leapt out of the gunship. Blake took a running start to leap after her.

—————————————————————

**30 miles from Valliant**

As the ground was getting closer Weiss steadied her falling body. She summoned glyphs including a yellow time dilation glyph at the end to slow her descent for the impact. She landed almost gracefully on her feet.

"Honestly, the nerve of some people." Weiss fumed. Weiss's hands were running along her outfit to smooth out the new wrinkles.

"Waaaaaoooooohhhh!" Yang yelled as she was coming down. She was firing her gauntlets downwards as her own method to slow down. Yang aimed for the still appearing time dilation glyph and it slowed her enough to land in a crouch not far from Weiss.

"Haha! What a rush!" Yang exclaimed with her fists pumped in the air.

"You imbecile! Did you really just push me out of a flying aircraft?!" Weiss yelled with an accusatory finger.

"Wasn't me. You must've tripped." Yang waved her finger away.

"Lair! I felt someone push me." Weiss cried out.

"Maybe it was your subconscious. Maybe you really wanted to jump." Yang teased while wagging her eyebrows.

Before Weiss could respond further she noticed a red blur heading towards them. It reformed to reveal Ruby and Blake were holding hands on their drop as Ruby was rapidly using her semblance to slow down. They also passed the time glyph still held by Weiss and separated to land on the ground.

"Thanks for the help." Blake thanked Ruby.

"It was nothing." Ruby smiled cheerfully.

"Oh yes, thank you so much." Weiss placed her hands on her hips. "We have successfully jumped out our escort and landed who knows where in a possibly Grimm invested forest. Good job, everyone."

"Do you just complain for the fun of it or are you really that much of a pessimist." Blake commented.

"Look who's talking! 'Hey kettle my name is pot. I just wanted to call and tell you our dust shipment will arrive on schedule. Also, you're black!' I can't believe this is happening." Weiss ranted.

"Yikes, I thought for sure someone like you would have weiss in their vines. Am I right?" Yang held back a chuckle.

"Not funny, Yang." Ruby stated. "Calm down, Weiss. I know this looks bad, but we've been through this already. Literally, the same thing happened in our first exam. This should be a cakewalk." Ruby waved her hand nonchalantly.

Weiss signed. "Okay then. However, there is still the problem of us not knowing where we are. Our scrolls don't have a signal here so we can't rely on those." Weiss pulled out her scroll and pointed at the "no signal" text in the upper left corner of the screen.

"Well according to the packets we read last night-" Blake stopped at everyone's confused looks. "Ozpin sent a file to our scrolls detailing the mission. Don't tell me I was the only one who read them." Yang and Ruby shook their head no. "You're kidding. What about you, Weiss? I thought for sure that would be in your area?"

Weiss blushed from embarrassment. "My-my scroll wasn't charged that day so I plugged it in while we were in class! I forgot about it-oh and I was so excited about-just tell us what you were going to say!" Weiss shut her eyes as if to avoid looking at everyone.

_'I'm starting to think Ruby is a bad influence on her.' _Blake thought while trying to hold back a smirk at the heiress's flustered reaction.

Blake continued. "In that case I'll just give the bare minimum. Valliant is Southeast of Beacon; the direction our bullhead was flying in." Blake pointed to her right. "This is North. So that means that Southeast is this way. We go there until we find our drop point."

"How do you know that's North?" Weiss, a person with no sense of direction, was confused at this.

"Let's just say I'm good at tracking." Blake answered simply. Yang giggled as she knew the reason why.

"Something funny?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.

"Inside joke; you wouldn't get it. If you're worried about the distance we could always find a ride." Yang explained.

Weiss looked at their surroundings. They were in a rare clearing in the forest. "With what?"

"Yeah, Yang. There's nothing here." Ruby added.

"Think about it. Forests just don't have bald spots. This place was cleared out, probably by the settlement we're going to; for lumber." Yang explained.

"If that's true then why would they go all the way here for lumber." Ruby said.

"Probably because they don't want to ruin the environment around their settlement." Blake said. "Foliage makes a good natural defense. Also, there's a chance that it's not just for lumber, but for dust as well." Blake pointed ahead of them to see a ditch in the ground.

"Actually you might be onto something." Weiss interjected. "If there was a hidden vein of dust around here, then it wouldn't be very close to Valliant so that secrecy could be maintained."

"Wow! Way to go Yang!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Oh shucks, Rubes. You know I try." Yang boasted with her hands on her hips.

_'We helped too.'_ Weiss and Blake thought bitterly but chose not to voice the complaint.

Team RWBY split to search the dig site. What seemed barren actually held many objects. There were carts to carry dust. Power tools such as drills and power loaders. Yang even found a random deflated tire just laying around.

_'A tire…...hold on! Maybe someone left their ride here!' _Yang thought

Yang followed a dirt trail around the tire to a stack of lumber. Sitting behind the wood was a large tarp covering an object. Yang smiled as she knew what she found. "Hey guys! Do you believe in miracles? Cuse I just found one!"

The team met where Yang was standing. "If this is another outhouse Yang I'm going to scream." Weiss remarked.

"Hold on. Did you really find an outhouse?" Blake questioned.

Ruby answered. "Yes, but don't go in there! It's evil." She shivered.

"I'm just gonna ignore that. So what's this Yang?" Blake asked with a quirked brow.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Yang exclaimed while teary-eyed with open arms.

"Are you referring to the tarp or what's under the tarp?" Weiss asked in annoyance. "This better not be a bulldozer."

"Nah, this baby is built for speed!" Yang gripped the tarp and pulled. "Taa-dah!" She cheered as she revealed the vehicle.

It was an old, busted, bright yellow van with black flame marks on the side. It had two front doors, one windowless large sliding door on the right, and two back doors at the end. It was covered in dirt and slightly rusty metal. One tire plate was chrome as the others were yellow. Also, the windshield was cracked and it was missing a side mirror.

"...what?" They all questioned. Yang simply continued to smile.

"I know! I can't wait to get my hands on this baby." Yang rubbed her hands together.

"Did she hit her head on the way down?" Blake asked Weiss who was too stunned to answer.

"I'm a little……..confused, Sis. I always thought you were more of a motorcycle gal. What's with the affection for the van?" Ruby questioned.

"My dear sweet, naive, yet stupid sister." Yang pinched Ruby's cheek who squirmed away at the action. "Don't you remember that time Uncle Qrow let us borrow his van to pick up groceries?" Yang asked with a look of nostalgia.

"I remember you breaking all the traffic laws because some idiot challenged us to a street race." Ruby deadpanned.

"And I won! Imagine what I could do with this baby!" Yang ran up to the van to slap the dirt off. She started coughing when some dirt was inhaled.

Weiss interrupted her coughing fit. "So let me get this straight." Weiss began. "You want us to get in that death trap, because you have rose-colored lenses about causing havoc in a similar abomination!" Weiss's voice got louder the longer she spoke.

Yang ceased coughing to wiped the tears away from her eyes."Yep. Hey, look the doors' unlocked. Now we gotta take it." Yang stepped inside the driver's seat.

"Well too bad. You can't drive it without the keys." Weiss stated smugly.

"Oh, the keys." Yang found them in the glove compartment.

"What?! Well it's not like the tin can will start anyway. I bet it doesn't even have any fuel left." Weiss straightened her posture.

Yang turned the key in the ignition. The van roared alive and hummed as the motor steadied. "Oh, look a full tank."

Ruby and Blake turned to the sour-faced Weiss. "We are not getting in that." Weiss tried to speak for everyone.

"I call shotgun." Blake said as she stepped inside.

"I wanted shotgun!" Ruby sulked as she sat in the backseat.

"Are you kidding me? I did not become a student at Beacon to commit Grand Theft Auto!" Weiss yelled.

"It's not stealing. It's borrowing for a good cause. When we get to the drop point we'll leave it there. If anything we're helping the guy by bringing him his ride." Yang argued with her own twisted logic.

"I refuse." Weiss turned her head.

"Okay. Bye." Yang put the van in reverse as she backed away from Weiss.

"No! Wait! Don't leave me here!" Weiss ran after the van realizing she did not have a choice in the matter. She was outvoted again.

————————————————————

**Inside the van**

Weiss sat with crossed arms in the backseat of the van as Ruby sat to her left. Ruby was smiling at the situation; she felt like she was hanging out with her friends on the weekend and technically she wasn't wrong. Yang was trying to sing along with the radio as she drove. Blake was in the passenger seat reading a hardcover novel; where she was keeping that no one knew. It was odd though as she was obviously invested in the book, but was turning her head occasionally to blush all while hiding the cover with her hands.

From her angle, Ruby could see that the cover read "Howling at the Moon" but thought nothing of it. She was just strumming her fingers along her legs while sometimes failing to whistle. As if doing that would let her think of something to say. Weiss was unusually quiet when she got into the van. Ruby knew Weiss wasn't happy about the circumstances, but she hoped the heiress wasn't actually angry.

"So um? How are classes going?" Ruby asked Weiss.

"My classes are going well. They would be less annoying if you didn't sleep through them." Weiss answered.

_'I forgot about that!'_ Ruby yelled inwardly.

"Sure but school is tough, ya know?" Ruby offered.

"Even more so when you don't sleep." Weiss said passive aggressively.

"I do sleep. In class, remember? Ha. Heh." Ruby fake chuckled. Weiss ignored the comment and turned to Ruby.

"What's wrong with you. I mean besides the obvious?" Weiss asked.

_'Is this her trying to be nice? Sheesh.'_ Ruby thought. She knew Weiss did not have a good bedside manner, but she felt like the act was getting old.

"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine the way I am, thank you." Ruby huffed.

"That's a conversation for later." Weiss started. "For now, you have to tell me why you can't sleep. I can't help you if you don't trust me"

"I do trust you." Ruby insisted.

"Enough to fight with me yes, but not talk to me. Weren't you the one preaching about teamwork and opening up to people? I was willing to participate before I found out you were a hypocrite." Weiss was turned to Ruby with her arms crossed. She briefly adjusted her seatbelt to look at Ruby from a better position.

"I'm the hypocrite? You never tell me what you're doing or what's on your mind, yet you expect me too? It's a two way street, Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed.

"You learned that from me! Yesterday, you didn't even know about that phrase!" Weiss yelled back.

Throughout this argument, Yang was still singing. "Na na na na! Hello there my enemy! Da da da de da da da!".

"Yang would you stop that! If you're going to sing along at least use the right lyrics. Do you know how aggravating that is for a singer? Also how does the radio work when my scroll doesn't?!" Weiss lashed out.

Before Yang could remark, Ruby beat her to it. "Don't yell at her! You're always so mean! Can't it kill you to be nice! Did you have some freaky rich girl surgery to remove your good side?"

"What kind of nonsensical remark was that. Do you even hear yourself?" Weiss retorted.

"Come on guys cut it out. You're distracting the driver." Yang called back. She turned down the radio's volume so they could hear her request, but she was still being ignored.

"I hear just fine, and that's want I'm talking about. If you really want to ask me what's wrong, then don't talk down to me like I'm a small child." Ruby argued.

"You are a child!" Weiss exclaimed while gesturing with her hands at Ruby; as if to say "duh".

"You're both acting like kids!" Yang was getting aggravated.

Ruby unfastened her seatbelt. "I am not a child." She said to Weiss. "I'm team leader but you can't accept that."

"You want me to be honest, right?" Weiss unfastened her seatbelt. "Your right I can't, because despite all the virtues you have, despite the potential, you don't have the motivation." Weiss knew that feeling all too well. Whether she was redirecting that feeling to Ruby, she could not tell. All that mattered was proving her point.

"I'm not motivated enough for you! I'm trying my best including being nice to you which is impossible!" Ruby yelled.

"Blake!" Yang glanced at Blake. "Would you please say something?"

"Kids, listen to your mother." Blake absentmindedly said. She was too invested in her book to be distracted.

'_This is so intense! Could this be it. Is he going to confess!' _Blake was fawning about a scene in her book where two characters were having a "romantic" moment. Literally the opposite of what was happening in the van.

Weiss pointed at Ruby. "You listen here-"

"Stop touching me!" Ruby smacked her finger away.

"W-what? I'm not touching you!" She raised her finger again. "This is not touching you."

"Yes it is! You want me to act like a child so I'm being one." Ruby pouted.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Yang's eyes changed into red as she turned to face the bickering pair. "If you two don't shut up I will turn this van around and no extra credit for anybody!"

"She started it." Weiss claimed while gesturing to Ruby. Weiss was unaware of how childish that sounded.

"Beowolf!" Ruby said.

Weiss scoffed. "Name calling? Alright, you dolt-"

"No! A beowolf!" Everyone turned to see a roaring beowolf in their path.

Yang sweeped the van past the Grimm as it clawed the van. The creature began to give chase followed by two others of its kind.

"Where did they come from?" Yang exclaimed.

"How could you not notice a pack of beowolves?" Weiss interrogated Yang.

"I was too busy playing bus driver. By the way, maybe it was you two arguing that attracted them." Yang retorted as she swerved to avoid a claw slash.

"Or maybe it's the large conspicuous automobile we are carjacking!" Weiss argued has she held onto the side door for safety.

"Guys they're just beowolves. We can stop to take care of them." Ruby climbed in the back of the van to take a look. She opened one of the doors to fire crescent rose at the grimm. However, before she could do that her mouth dropped at the sight before her. There were now groups of boarbatusks, large tiger-like grimm called sabyrs, and even Ursa Minor being led by an Ursa Major.

Ruby slammed the door shut then returned to her seat. "I was wrong. There's a lot! Please never stop driving!" Ruby squealed while holding a folded crescent rose like a child.

"This just got more exciting." Yang said as she accelerated the vehicle. Her eyes noticed something. "Blake! Are you still reading?!"

"I'm almost down just hold on." Blake asked desperately. Clearly she was at a very important part in the chapter.

"You freaking bookworm! That's it! You're not the only one who's gonna have some fun!" Yang cracked up the radio as a new song started.

**-Armed and Ready (OST)**

Yang drifted around a large tree which a charging boarbatusk slammed into. She swerved again to avoid a leaping beowolf; it sailed past as claw marks raked the roof. Yang drove back onto the dirt road to gain traction and speed up. Unfortunately, so did the Grimm as a sabyr was clinging on her car door. Yang dodged a bite as she grabbed its saber tooth, broke it off, and slammed it into the creature's eye. The Grimm fell off as it began to fade away.

Blake was fast reading as a beowolf latched onto the left side of the van; it's head at her window. Without looking she repeatedly fired the gambol shroud into its eyes causing it to shriek and grip its face as it fell off the van. Blake signed as she quickly pulled out a bookmark to save her spot. She placed the book into the glove compartment then opened her door.

"Yang! Turn here!" Blake threw her weapon's grappling hook to latch on a nearby tree trunk. On Blake's command, Yang made an impromptu drift that caused several pursuing grimm to stumble and fall over each other. The car ride became even more rough as they traveled through uneven terrain. "If we take a right into the next road it'll lead us to a bridge."

Ruby smacked her face to focus. "We have to provide cover until then."

Ruby opened the back door again to fire at the grimm. She used gravity dust in the hopes that it would slow the Grimm down. A sabyr leapt at her but Ruby was faster as she turned into rose petals with her scythe raking the Grimm, then restoring her form to blast it away. "Weiss! Can you give us some cover?" Ruby asked as she continued to fire her weapon in its sniper configuration.

Adjusting to the situation, Weiss responded. "I'll get topside."

Weiss opened the side door to reveal an Ursa alongside them. Weiss used a glyph to halt the Ursa as it crashed into her semblance. She climbed onto the roof of the moving van and brought out Mrynaster in a flourish. She created ice dust at her feet to hold herself in place. Weiss shivered at the cold, but she knew her aura would protect her from frostbite.

Weiss ignited a fire wall behind the van in order to ward off the advancing Grimm. Several halted while others were set ablaze as they ran through the flames. However, there were still a lot of Grimm in pursuit including the Ursa Major. It was gaining speed as Weiss was erecting glyphs to slow it down, but it only crashed through them. The Ursa Major tried to leap at Weiss, but she summoned a row of glyphs for defense. It still smacked through most of them, but the one just in front of Weiss was a black glyph that caught the descending grimm to send it flying back into its brethren like a homemade cannonball.

Yang turned the van right as they were on the dirt road again. Up ahead there indeed was a bridge, however there was a problem.

"The bridge is up!" Yang exclaimed.

The metal bridge was up and segmented into two parts for one on each side of a small chasm. They could not afford to turn back as the grimm were advancing. Ruby was aware of this so she came up with an impromptu plan.

"Weiss! Make a bridge!" It was a simple plan.

"I can't make an entire bridge!" Weiss exclaimed. This is one of the few times where Weiss Schnee admits she cannot do something.

"Just get us some air! We can jump it!" Ruby clarified as she shot her weapon faster hoping, in her mind, that somehow her weapon recoil would make the van go faster. It's the thought that counts.

"Alright, fine!" Weiss knew it was not the time to argue as Yang was stepping on the gas.

As they neared the segmented bridge Weiss created three large van sized glyphs to extend the bridge. Weiss quickly tried to get inside the van before the jump so she smashed the ice covering her feet. It was too late however as the van ran up the bridge then through her glyphs; the last one was a black glyph that sent the vehicle forward in a powerful throw. The force was so strong that the van was sent spinning.

Ruby's semblance activated as she sailed out of the back door when the van was turned upside down during its mid-air jump. Ruby caught a falling Weiss, carried them both back inside, and shut the sliding door all before the van made touchdown. When the vehicle did land it was back upright just past the other part of the bridge. It bounced several times from the force of the landing. This caused a tire cover to dislodge. but everything else held together.

Yang continued driving even after the rough landing. Weiss was breathily harshly from the small scare. She turned to Ruby who still held on to her. Weiss shuffled out of her grip with a muttered thanks. Blake turned back to face them.

"Are we in the clear?" Blake asked.

Ruby returned to the back to find that no one was still chasing them. She closed the backdoor and returned to her seat. "We're good." She gave a thumbs up.

"Good." Blake responded as she brought her book out again to keep reading. The radio was just static now as Yang leaned back to the pair.

"Are we cool?" Yang asked.

The two just nodded at her. "Good." Yang said as she faced the road.

—————————————————————

**10 miles from Valliant**

"This is it. Stop here." Blake requested from Yang as she was looking up from her book.

"How can you tell?" Yang questioned as she slowed the van down.

"The briefing, that only I read apparently, said that an identifiable landmark for the drop zone was a water tower." Blake pointed at the object. "There it is."

"Good enough for me." Yang pulled the van to a stop parallel from the water tower. She let out a breath as she took the keys out.

"Well that was fun. Heh, Weiss?" Yang teased.

"No. No, it wasn't." Weiss answered honestly.

"Come on. We kicked ass in style back there. Also, the lucky owner of this bad boy will know that it's grimm proof." Yang stepped out of the vehicle. "I mean look at her; still in one piece." When she slammed the door it fell off the hinges and Yang jumped out of its path to the ground.

Blake rolled her eyes as she put away her novel then got out. Weiss let Ruby out on her side then closed the sliding door. She noticed it had slash marks across it. "I'm not paying for your bail." Weiss stated to Yang.

"You mean bill?" Yang asked.

"Bail. Money. When you get arrested." Weiss stated.

Ruby spoke up. "Right. Good job on completing step one, Team RWBY!" She rose her fist in the air.

"Ruby. This is step one." Weiss gestured around them.

"Oh. Good job on completing step zero, Team RWBY!" Ruby pumped her fist again with the same enthusiasm. Weiss and Blake shook their heads while Yang nodded approvingly at her sister's attitude.

"Ok. Step one is a go. Let's refresh ourselves. Our job is to scout for Black Bulls, right? So we split into two pairs. Both teams can go left and right from here, then we meet on the other side to check with each other. After, we split apart again to meet back here, and if everything goes smoothly we go to the pickup zone and make s'mores!" Ruby displayed a bag of marshmallows. "Sound good?"

"One thing, sis. I better hold onto those." Yang swiped the marshmallow bag from Ruby which made her pout at the loss.

"A sound strategy, but might I suggest instead of going with our partners we could switch things around?" Blake asked.

"But why?" Ruby asked confused at the odd request.

"Actually, I agree with Blake." Weiss spoke up. "While we've proven to be compatible with our partners our skill sets should still complement each member. If it doesn't work we could switch back when we meet up."

"No complaints here. That okay, sis?" Yang added.

Ruby was still confused but conceded. "No. That should be fine. Blake and I will go right while you and Weiss can go left."

"Wait. I thought I was gonna go with you?" Yang misunderstood the setup.

"Nope. Behave you two. See ya soon!" Ruby waved as she and Blake walked in their designated direction.

Yang and Weiss turned to face each other. Due to the height difference Yang had to look downwards. Weiss made herself look taller as she spoke. "Well come along. We don't have all day." Weiss strutted away.

Yang signed then placed her hands behind her head in a relaxed fashion as she followed behind.

—————————————————————

**Ruby and Blake**

The RB portion of Team RWBY was hiking through the woods. Occasionally Blake would grapple onto a tree to get a better view of the land, then signal Ruby to move forward. Ruby was letting Blake lead as the cat faunas had more of a penchant for stealth. Not that Ruby was incompetent in this field or anything. She just knew she was inexperienced in this field while even Blake semblance made stealth a benefit.

That being said, Ruby felt it was safe enough to talk. When Blake came down as Ruby pried her cloak from a low hanging tree branch she asked the question that's been on her mind. "So why did you want to change partners? Are you and Yang fighting?"

Blake shook her head. "Not exactly. I just told her something she didn't like hearing. Actually, it's something I need to tell you as well. That's why I suggested this." Blake said as she moved forward.

"You could've just told the whole group." Ruby countered.

"This involves my past Ruby, and the fact that I'm a faunas. Weiss can't know about that." Blake reasoned.

"That's not fair Blake. She is part of the group so she's gonna find out eventually." Ruby walked in front of Blake to face her.

"You're right it's not, but I don't know if I can trust her yet. I swear I'll explain it to her if I'm ready. Like how you will only tell us your deal when you're ready." Blake moves ahead of Ruby again.

Ruby stopped Blake by placing a delicate hand on her shoulder. "What does that mean?"

"You had a secret talk with Ozpin, but never told us about it. Afterwards, you can't sleep and refuse to tell us. I know you have a problem with opening up like I do so I've given you space. However, you can't just stand there and lecture me about trust." Blake walked forward again.

Ruby followed behind with her head down. "Are you mad?"

"I could never be mad at you. It would feel like kicking a kitten." Blake smiled at Ruby to reassure her. "So to avoid being a hypocrite I'll tell you about my own secret talk with Ozpin."

—————————————————————-

**Vale PD- two weeks ago**

Blake sat in an interrogation room after being left there by frustrated officers. She would only reply with the request for a lawyer so they left her as she refused to give information. This would not be Blake's first arrest, but she felt guilty involving Yang and Ruby. Blake knew Yang would be upset if there was an incident and she didn't call her for help. However, she didn't expect the situation to get so out of hand or for Ruby to be there too.

'_I owe those girls too much to throw them into my own problems. Maybe it's best that when Yang goes to Beacon I move on.' _Blake thought to herself.

Suddenly the door opened to reveal a white haired man with a cane entering the room. He calmly sat down in the chair across from Blake. His hands still held onto the cane as he gazed at her. "Would you believe me if I said I was your lawyer?" He asked.

Blake narrowed her eyes. "No."

"Smart. Just because I look the part doesn't make me a lawyer. Although, unlike one, I can help you." He said.

"You just admitted that you can't help me." Blake said confused.

"I said I wasn't a lawyer, but I can still help. Tell me: Have you ever heard of Beacon?" Ozpin asked.

"Are you a teacher there?" Blake was beginning to think that he looked familiar.

"Sometimes I teach a class." He answered cryptically.

Blake's eyes widened in realization. "Are you Headmaster Ozpin?"

"You really are observant.You would make a fine student at my school." Ozpin confirmed her claim.

Blake calmed her nerves as spoke. "Sorry, but I'm not interested."

"Why is that? I'd say you're more than qualified. You would receive proper training to defend against grimm and be able to attend with your friends." Ozpin stated.

"Friends?" Blake only knew about Yang going to Beacon.

"Oh, well I was hoping Miss Rose would attend as well." Ozpin clarified.

"What? She's only fifteen." Blake's posture went stiff as she looked at Ozpin.

"No need to act so protective, Miss Belladonna. It's her choice after all. I'm just confident, maybe even a little arrogant, about the fact that she will accept. Who wouldn't want to skip two grades?" Ozpin calmly replied.

"So you're telling me all of this because you want me to come along?" Blake's mind was reeling as she was trying to read the enigmatic man in front of her. Blake liked to believe she could read people, but the person before her held an aura of experience.

"That's up to you." Ozpin smirked.

"If I wanted to go I would've said so." Blake crosses her arms.

"Is it because of your eye color? I must say amber is a very pretty color. Almost like a feline." Ozpin teased.

Blake narrowed her eyes at the remark. Ozpin noticed this before continuing to speak. "Forgive me if I was offensive. I won't pretend to understand your reasons for hiding. Since I arrived, I have meant to turn Beacon Academy into not only one of the top huntsman schools but also a place of acceptance. You would never have to be afraid of who you are in my classrooms."

Blake did not respond as she turned her head to face the ground. Ozpin folded his hands as his eyes grew serious. "Why don't we make a deal?"

Blake's bow twitched at that. "What deal?"

"A man of my position has many resources such as information. I know just from this incident that you are very intrigued with the Black Bulls. If you were to come to my school, there could arise a situation where I point you in the right direction." Ozpin looked at Blake unblinking as he spoke of the offer.

Blake instantly grew excited but also nervous. "What's the catch?"

"Only that you attend my school, and that you help your friends whenever they need you?" Ozpin held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

————————————————————

**Present**

"-and then we shook on it. I knew he was telling the truth as soon as we were all out and you told us about Ozpin's offer and your acceptance." Blake finished her story. "That's partially why we're here so I thought you deserved to know about it. I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner."

Ruby was rubbing her head as she fit the pieces together mentally. "I'm confused. Why did he want you to come so badly? No offense, I mean he asked me after all but never went so far as to bribe me."

"My best guess: he wanted me to look after you. He said to watch my friends, but judging by your circumstance he wants me to protect you specifically. That's why I was watching you and Weiss during the exam before I met with Yang." Blake explained her hypothesis.

"You were watching us?!" Ruby exclaimed and covered herself in her cape.

"Yeah, I know how creepy that sounds but I had good intentions. Despite everything that happened that day, I fulfilled my end so I guess this is the reward." Blake continued walking.

Ruby followed. "That's pretty sneaky Blake but I'm not upset. Actually I'm happy; I always wanted you to go to Beacon." Ruby tilted her head. "You said Yang was angry?"

"There was an argument when I explained it to her. Yang said that she didn't like not being told something when it involves you. Also, that it took bribery for me to attend Beacon instead of just at her request. It was more of a disagreement than a fight since I apologized and she calmed down. Lately though, she's been making comments referring to the fact that I kept something from you both." Blake ears dropped down. "Now I've gotten you two involved in my mistakes again."

Blake stopped as Ruby grabbed her hand. She turned and saw Ruby smiling. "That's what friends are for; we help each other. That's double since we're teammates, and triple for me cuse I'm your leader. So please just let me be your leader."

Blake smiles in response to that. _'This girl doesn't change at all.' _Blake gripped Ruby's hand then slowly let it go as she walked away.

Ruby followed along beside Blake. Ruby's eyebrow raised as she thought of something else. "Wait? Did he mean you looking out for me at school, because there's no way he would've known we would end up on the same team." Ruby claimed.

Blake shrugged. "I've thought about that and maybe he did."

"What? But the test was so random!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Maybe it was just meant to look that way. Some things are simpler than they appear." Blake's ears twitched as she crouched down. "I think someone's close. Stay quiet."

—————————————————————

**Yang and Weiss**

The other pair that made up Team RWBY was steadily walking down a trampled path in the forest. By comparison, they were making better time than their friends but they did not know that. Weiss looked over at Yang who decided to open the bag of marshmallows she took from Ruby. Yang stuffed several in her mouth then turned to see she had Weiss's attention.

"You vant une?" Yang asked with her mouth full.

Weiss grimaced in response. "You do know that if you eat the whole bag you'll gain weight, right?" She asked rhetorically.

Yang still answered. "Nah. Thanks to my semblance calories literally burn away." She smirked at her pun.

"Charming." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Ya sure you don't want some?" Yang offered the bag to Weiss.

"We are in the middle of something very important. Just put those away." Weiss pushed the bag away.

"Fine, I'm just trying to be nice. Despite your problem with my sister I do want to get along." Yang stated.

"What? I don't have a problem with Ruby." Weiss said honestly.

"Well then why are you always harping on her? Don't fall asleep in class, focus on your footwork, don't leave bullet casings everywhere, all that whiny stuff. You're not her babysitter." Yang said while gesturing wildly with her hands. "Trust me, it's not a job you want."

"I am trying to look out for her. Call me the ice queen, ice princess, ice witch, or any of those ridiculous nicknames all you want because it doesn't matter. I happen to think I'm a very caring person." Weiss sneered at Yang.

"Care?"Yang stopped walking as her eyes widened. Weiss also stopped to look at the still girl. "What? Was it something I said?"

"Wait a minute." Yang thought aloud. "All the arguing….confused glances…." Yang was muttering to herself. She raised her voice to ask her question."Do you……….are you like…..."

"Am I what?" Weiss put her hands on her hips thinking Yang was going to insult her.

"Do you like…...swing for the fence?" Yang made a bat swing motion with her arms.

"What are you blubbering about?" Weiss was really confused at Yang's innuendo. Which was lucky for Yang or Weiss would've frozen her on the spot.

Yang just slowly shook her head._ 'Bad thought. Bad thought. That can't be it.' _Yang thought to herself.

"We'll table for two this conversation later. I think we're getting close." Yang continued walking as Weiss just signed and followed along.

Eventually, they spotted a speck of white ahead of them. "That must be the wall." Weiss said. "I think we circle around here from this point on." Weiss looked closer. "Wait…….is that smoke?" There was a black plume of smoke in the distance.

"Could they be burning something? Why would-" Yang's eyes widened as she quickly jumped on Weiss. Her semblance flared as it shielded them both from a grenade.

"Surround them!" A voice commanded.

Several faunas in masks leapt from the trees while others climbed from hidden foxholes in the ground. The duo was surrounded by two dozen black bull members. "We can't be rude to our guests." The voice came from a man on an overhanging tree branch.

The man leapt to the ground in a crouch several yards in front of the girls. Yang and Weiss stood back up to face the threat; their weapons already drawn. The leader stood up straight. "What are humans doing on my property."

Adam Taurus readied to draw his katana.

—————————————————————-

**Ruby and Blake**

"Do you see anything?" Ruby whispered to Blake who was currently looking out for anything noticeable. Blake's bow was twitching repeatedly.

"No, but I think I heard something. Sounded like an explosion." Blake guessed.

"Well that's not a good thing to hear." Ruby lamented. "We need to hurry. Yang and Weiss might've found something." Ruby said as she began jogging.

"Ruby, hold on." Blake stood up to follow her. Then, Blake began to run faster as she saw movement. "Ruby!"

Ruby couldn't react fast enough as a blurred figure jumped on top off her. The camouflage wore off to reveal a faunas girl in a black bull mask wearing black spandex. Several fox holes opened up to reveal more hidden faunas surrounding them; at least a dozen. The girl held a knife to Ruby as she greeted Blake. "Hello, Blake."

Blake's eyes widened. "Illya?"

—————————————————————

**A/N: **Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

**Next time: **Wild Hunt


	12. WildHunt

**A/N: **Part of the reason these chapters took so long was some background issues. Long story short, I need a new beta-reader. If anyone is interested, then please PM me.

**Saramus92: **Thank you for the compliment and support. However, your comparison confuses me because the last chapter was nothing like The Flash. To be fair, fighting dark creatures and animal-esqe terrorists unironically sounds like a flash thing.

——————————————————————

"Ilia!" A young Blake called out for her friend. The little girl was running down an alleyway in search of the hiding faunus. Blake's exposed ears were twitching as she listened out for any signs of Ilia. Her eyes widened as she heard sniffling behind a dumpster. Blake looked at where the noise was emitting from however she saw nothing.

Regardless of that fact, she knew Ilia was there. "Come on, Ilia. Come out so I can see you." Blake got on her knees.

She was facing the correct direction as the lizard faunus girl decloaked herself. Usually her skin would look tan, but since her mood was sorrowful as her skin was green and her spots were yellow. Ilia was hiding her face in her knees as she continued to cry.

Blake scooted herself closer, but this caused Ilia to turn her body away and put her hands to her face. "Go away." She said meekly.

"What's wrong Ilia? Please look at me." Blake grabbed Ilia's hands to pull them away, but Ilia jerked back.

"Go away!" Ilia's skin turned red and spots turned yellow in anger as she cried and pushed Blake.

"What is your problem?!" Blake sat back up to glare at her friend.

"Don't look at me." Ilia continued to cover her face as her skin changed back to green. "You said I'm ugly!" Ilia continued to cry.

"I never said that." Blake said.

"I saw you! You were with those boys making fun of me. Saying that I ate flies and that my skin is gross. They were asking you if I molt and how you could even look at me." Ilia stood up to run but Blake caught her hand.

"I never said any of those things or agreed with them." Blake pleaded with her friend.

"Yeah. You didn't say anything! You just wanted to fit in so you let them laugh at me! I hate you!" Ilia tucked her arm, but Blake was stronger and pulled Ilia to sit down with her.

"You're right. I'm so sorry, Ilia. I hated those boys for what they said, but I didn't want to talk back or they might have turned on me. I was scared, okay?" Blake put her arms around the fuming Ilia. "Please don't leave."

Ilia's skin changed to pink as she was pouting with narrowed eyes at Blake. "There's no reason for you to be around those people, Blake. Adam can keep us safe so why are you scared?"

"I just don't want to end up alone." Blake's eyes teared up. Ilia winced at that then turned her head away from Blake.

"Are you sorry?" Ilia asked.

"I'm so sorry." Blake answered.

"Am I ugly?" Ilia asked nervously.

"I think you're pretty." Blake stated that like it was obvious.

Ilia's face grew hot at this even if she didn't understand why. She wiped her eyes then glared at Blake. "Okay. I forgive you. You promise to never do that again?"

"I promise." Blake looked up at her.

"You'll stay with me?" Ilia questioned.

"I'll stay." Blake said.

Ilia smiled as she hugged Blake. "Okay."

————————————————————-

**Present**

"Ilia?" Blake asked.

"Surprised to see me." Ilia pressed the dagger closer to Ruby as she talked. "You really shouldn't be. The cameras at the water tower showed us when you arrived. You must have gotten lazy not to check. Maybe if you did your team wouldn't be walking into a trap."

Even though Ilia was referring to Blake, Ruby's eyes widened at the statement. Immediate guilt filled her mind as she struggled against Ilia.

_'How could I be so stupid?'_Ruby questioned herself.

"Don't struggle." Ilia stared calmly as the knife was at Ruby's throat.

"Let her go, Ilia." Blake called while gripping gambol shroud.

"This is the girl, isn't she? The one you ran away with from Menagrie?" Ilia said while glaring through her black mask at Blake. "I'm not impressed."

Suddenly, Ruby turned to roses and slipped out of Ilia's grasp. Then, she reformed to smack the faunus away with her scythe. Ruby took a combat stance as she glared down Ilia.

"Impressed, yet?" Ruby challenged.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." Ilia stood up and equipped her whip, lightning lash.

"Please stop! We don't have to fight." Blake tried reasoning.

"Take her!" Ilia ordered the other black bull members.

The masked faunus ran to Blake, but she leapt away to avoid their attacks. One landed a hit only for it to be revealed as a shadow clone; the real Blake roundhouse kicked the person away. Blake used her grappling hook to get in the trees as several faunus followed her. As she was swinging around with her thread, Blake was firing shots with her weapon's pistol form at her pursuers. Many missed but a few shots hit the branches the attackers would leap from and fell back to the ground.

Ilia swiped at Ruby only for the girl to roll away. Ruby went to slash Ilia, however he lizard girl was able to duck and pivot away from the slashes. Lightning lash cut across Ruby's shoulder as she jumped away from Ilia who ran after her to press the advantage. Ruby fired dust rounds only for them to miss or be knocked away by Ilia's whip. The faunus gripped her weapon around Ruby's leg, then with a forceful pull she threw Ruby into a tree.

"If you're worried about hurting me then that's fine. I'll just hurt you!" Ilia swiped at the downed Ruby.

Ruby held up crescent rose to parry away the attacks. She quickly fired shots from her weapon at Ilia; the recoil pushed Ruby away as she rolled up in a fighting stance. Ruby threw her scythe at Ilia who dodged out of its path. Ruby used her semblance, petal burst, to quickly move and catch her weapon then swiped at the Ilia. Ilia held up her whip to block, but the force still knocked her away.

Ilia recovered then ducked under a scythe attack that cut a tree behind her. She nimbly scaled up the falling tree as Ruby was following behind along the lumber. Ilia dove over the side and cut the wood with her sharp whip. Ruby began falling as the support beneath her feet gave out. Ruby used the spiked hilt of her scythe to stab into the ground and break her fall. Then, Lightning lash curled around Ruby's waist as she was pulled towards Ilia who placed her in a headlock.

"I see you can't fight without your weapon." Ilia gritted out as Ruby squirmed in her grip.

Blake noticed the exchange as she was still fighting in the trees. She was using her blade to parry attacks from other black bull members. She used her semblance to get behind one of them and kicked him out of the tree. Blake then wrapped her grappling hook's rope around another attacker's arm. She then jumped from the ledge and used the grappled faunus as an anchor so she could swing. Blake delivered a double leg kick to Ilia's side that breaks her away from Ruby.

Blake released her weapon's hold and landed next to crescent rose. She tossed it to Ruby who caught it with a twirl. The girls posed as they stood before the scowling Ilia.

"Don't do this Ilia. You don't have to do what he says." Blake pleaded.

Ilia's body stiffened as her skin turned green at Blake's reference to Adam. She then shook her head as her color returned to tan and gripped her weapon tighter. "Yes I do." Lightning began to crackle along her whip as she lashed out at them.

—————————————————————

**Yang and Weiss**

Adam readied to draw his katana. "I asked you a question."

"We were looking for skulls to smash." Yang cracked her knuckles. "Care to volunteer."

"How insolent." Adam turned to glare at Weiss. "I recognize those features. You're a Schnee, aren't you?"

Weiss's eyes widened as she vaguely remembered the figure before her. Her hands and knees began shaking. She had not felt this kind of dread since feeling the colossus's influence. Her mind was wandering to an old memory.

_"Father? Father, where have you gone?"_ Weiss shut her eyes to dispel the memory in her mind.

Adam smirked. "Today is a good day. To think that I would have the opportunity to collect the head of another Schnee." His followers began muttering to each other. Some whispered in excitement at the prospect that another Schnee would leave this world.

Yang's eyes widened as she turned to the quivering Weiss. "Weiss?" Yang saw that Weiss was unresponsive. "Stay with me, okay?"

"Take them." Adam gestured to the girls. At his command several faunus sprinted at the pair.

Yang stepped in front of Weiss as a black bull member with a sword moved in to attack. She ducked the strike and landed a strong uppercut followed with an overhead strike on him. A female faunus tried stabbing with punch daggers, but they clashed with Yang's gauntlets and broke along with her wrist. Yang tossed her away as another man attempted a high kick, however Yang caught his leg and punched him in the groin. He was sent to the ground wheezing as Yang turned to Weiss and saw that she was still frozen.

A large faunus started punching Yang as she shifted her stance into a Dempsey roll. Yang hit him with a flurry of blows that disoriented the faunus. She finishes him off with a leaping headbutt that sent him across the ground. Then, Yang yelled at Weiss. "Weiss! Move!" As As began firing dust rounds into more assailants.

Weiss broke out of her trance as a roaring faunus was running to her. She pivoted out of the way and slashed him repeatedly with her rapier. Weiss used her glyphs to speed away from several attackers as she sent fireballs at them. She then stabbed the ground and created an ice field beneath her feet. A black bull was sliding on the ice toward her so she launched him into the air with glyphs then combo attacked him back down.

"Finally!" Yang called out as she had a faunus in an armlock. She then brought his face into a high knee repeatedly before throwing him. Weiss said nothing as she fired a lighting bolt at a faunus behind Yang.

"Enough!" Adam roared. His followers stopped attacking as they heard their leader's order. Some were able to stand back up or crawl away to remove themselves from the fight.

"These two are mine. From this point on, no one interferes." Adam began striding towards them.

Weiss calmed her breathing as she faced Adam. "We take him together." Weiss said to Yang.

"No, I'm taking him now!" Yang charged forward.

Adam interrupted her attack by bringing his sword halfway out of its scabbard to smash the hilt against her abdomen. He resheathed the sword, Wilt, then shot it out of his rifle-scabbard, Blush, in an upward swing that sent Yang flying back.

"You fool!" Weiss summoned a glyph to catch Yang, then quickly backstepped as Adam shifted focus to her.

Adam charged at Weiss and swiped at her with his still sheathed sword. She sidestepped blows and parried others she couldn't dodge, but he was making her lose footing. Their weapons locked as Adam was using weight behind the attack to push Weiss. He kicked Weiss to the ground as Myrtenaster fell from her grasp.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Before Adam could continue he blocked a superman punch from Yang with his sword still in the scabbard.

Yang was in a boxer stance throwing punches at Adam who was still blocking them with a sheathed Wilt. He held the weapon in a reverse grip as he blocked jabs, parried punches or kicks, and evaded uppercuts. Adam smacked the scabbard against Yang's knee to buckle her. Then, with two hands he batted his weapon on her back to knock her prone.

At this time, Weiss stood with her weapon to shoot fireballs and lightning at Adam. The first shot scorched his back as the second burned his shoulder as his aura flared. Adam countered her dust by pulling Wilt slightly out of Blush to block the projectiles. Yang rose to follow Weiss's example by firing dust rounds as well to force Adam to backpedal. Regardless, Adam continued blocking both at an increasing rate until his sword began to shine a bright red. In a split second, he sheathed and unsheathed Wilt to fire a projectile slash at the pair.

They were both knocked prone as Yang received most of the force while Weiss attempted to block with an ice wall that shattered on contact. Yang's eyes flared red and her hair was burning as she picked herself up. "This bastard is just playing with us."

"I noticed." Weiss stood at Yang's side. "We take him together." Weiss repeated pointedly.

Yang signed. "I'll hit him hard and you hit him fast."

The black bull members surrounded the area which gave the sense that the three were in their own arena. Many were cheering for Adam as he was clearly in the lead and they were very biased. The real bull faunus himself was smirking. "You could make this execution more interesting, Schnee."

"I'm already sick of this guy." Yang nodded to Weiss as they charged him.

—————————————————————

**Ruby and Blake**

Ruby and Blake used their semblances to dodge Ilia's lightning whip. The duo was shooting at Ilia who quickly ran deeper into the forest to avoid the blasts. Blake followed along in the trees while Ruby pursued on foot. Ilia used the blade of her whip to slice down trees during her sprint to halt her foes. Blake was on a falling tree and as it descended she jumped Ilia.

They rolled on the ground until Blake pinned Ilia down. "Give up!" Blake shouted. "There's always a choice so choose to stop fighting!"

"Stop talking!" Ilia wrapped her whip around Blake which started to electrocute her. Ilia pushed Blake off who was still fidgeting.

"Blake!" Until Ruby shot the whip out of Ilia's hand. Ilia gripped her hand as Blake took the whip off of herself.

Ruby charged forward to attack the defenseless Ilia, however she was not paying attention to her feet. The ground erupted beneath Ruby as she was sent flying by an explosion.

"Ruby!" Blake exclaimed.

As she was distracted Ilia struck her in the head with a hilt strike after retrieving her weapon. Blake looked up to see the glowering Ilia. "Did you think I was just running away? I set up insurance while waiting on you and your new friends." Ilia moved to strike Blake.

Blake rolled away from the whip swipes then stood up. She extended her weapon to use its grappling hook to fight off Ilia's whip. The two engaged in a long range battle as they swung their elongated weapons in an acrobatic pattern. Blake somersaulted over one of Ilia's attacks and wrapped her grappling hook around the other girl's dominant arm. Ilia switched hands and repeated Blake's attack with her own weapon.

Both Ilia and Blake stared each other down in tug of war with their weapons. The difference was that Blake was being shocked by lightning dust so she was struggling in her opponent's grip. Blake forced her eyes closed in order to concentrate on her aura. Then, her position was replaced by a clone, but her weapon was still attached to Ilia. In the corner of her eye, a swarm of rose petals sailed in to form into Ruby as she swiped Ilia away with her scythe.

Blake used the force from Ruby's blow that sent Ilia flying to tug on her rope. This forced Ilia's body to collide with the ground. Ilia slowly stood up from the impact as her aura flared. Ruby stood next to Blake as the two took a defensive stance.

"You okay?" Blake asked Ruby in concern.

"I used to spar with Yang a lot so I'm used to explosions." Ruby set her gaze on Ilia. "If you know her. Then why is she attacking us?" Ruby questioned.

"I'm not sure, but I have a few ideas." Blake answered.

"I bet you do." Ilia gestured to Ruby. "Is she your new best friend or are you gonna leave her too?"

"Ilia the situation was complicated. I tried to warn you about Adam-"

"Yes you did, but you were all talk and no action. Just like now." Ilia pulled out a remote detonator and triggered the mines set up in the area.

Explosions from various dust mines eviscerated much of the ground. Fire, lightning, and ice covered the field as the field shook from the force. There was plenty of smoke that obscured everyone's vision as the combatants adjusted to the area. Blake's ears were ringing so much she thought she had gone deaf and her eyes hurt when she opened them. She stood up to look around as the smoke was beginning to clear.

"Ruby! Ruby! Where are you?" Blake called out for her teammate.

"Here." Ilia ambushed Blake by snapping a collar on her neck. Blake pushed Ilia away as then tried to pry off the collar. Ilia pulled out a scroll to input a command and Blake felt her nerves scream as she was being shocked.

"Like it? They had plenty of those at Valliant." Ilia picked up the struggling Blake and put her in an arm lock. "It suppresses aura like what they use in those fancy prisons, or for labor."

"Blake!" Ruby was revealed as more smoke cleared to show she was running to them.

"Stop right there!" Ruby responded to Ilia's order as she saw Blake's position.

"You see this on her neck." Ilia gestured.

Ruby's eyes widened as the device reminded her of awful memories; Ilia noticed this. "Looks like you do. Here." She tossed another at Ruby's feet. "Put it on."

"Don't do it, Ruby!" Blake yelled.

Ilia leaned in and whispered into Blake's ear. "Just play along."

Blake tried her best to hide her confusion but her mind was reeling. Ruby was looking between them and the collar with a face of indecision. At Ruby's reluctance, Ilia's skin changed red and she gave her an ultimatum. "Put it on or I turn on the shock feature until she seizes!" Ilia threatened.

"Okay stop!" Ruby holstered her weapon then picked up the collar.

Ruby struggled for several moments to secure the device, but eventually enclosed it around her neck. She wore it with a defeated expression as she raised her hands in surrender. This was perfect timing as the other black bulls of Ilia's group caught up with the fight. Ilia turned her attention on them as they came out of the woodwork.

"Finally. Secure these prisoners." She pushed Blake in their direction as they cuffed Ruby and then her.

"Adam will want to see them." Ilia stated.

—————————————————————

**Yang and Weiss vs. Adam**

Weiss summoned glyphs beneath Yang to move her forward. Yang took the boost in stride as she charged. Adam blocked her first hit by slightly unsheathing Wilt then attempted to hilt bash her. Yang ducked and backed off as Weiss moved in with a powerful rapier thrust. Adam sidestepped out of the way only for Yang to shoulder charge him across the ground.

Adam rolled to his feet and blocked more of Weiss' swipes with his scabbard. He kicked Weiss away as Yang landed a hit on his shoulder. Adam shoulder rolled with the blow to smack Yang with Blush, however she caught it with one hand and arm locked Adam with the other hand. Yang held Adam tight as Weiss assaulted him with a rapier combo of many slashes and thrust. Then, Yang tossed him into a black glyph set by Weiss so he was launched back into Yang's lariat strike.

Adam was sent into the ground as it cratered from the force. After a few moments, Adam stood and was wiping the dirt off his outfit. Yang tsked at the taunt and looked at her surroundings. "So these are the Black Bulls, right? I'm just assuming because of the crappy masks."

"Yes. You'll looking at their leader." Adam gestured to himself.

Yand scoffed at that and looked to Weiss. "Can you believe this? I thought I was full of myself, but I've never lied about my hype."

"I don't believe he's lying." Weiss responded with a serious expression.

"Really?" Yang looked to Adam. "So we take you down and get to go home, yeah?"

"Only in body bags." Adam growled as he sent slash of energy to them.

Wiess used glyphs to jump over the wave as Yang simply crashed threw it with crossed arms and her semblance aflame. Adam rolled away from Weiss's overhead slash then fired his scabbard at Yang. It hit her head as the impact dazed and Adam jumped in the air to resheath his sword and drop kicked Yang. He cried out as lightning from Weiss raked his back so he swung wildly at her with his sheathed Wilt. The exchange was brief as Weiss ducked under one slash to stab his knees.

This caused Adam to lose his balance and focus. For a brief moment, he was an open target for Yang as she attacked him with a yell; her semblance creating the imagery of her being bathed in flames. He sailed into a tree that cracked at the impact, but Yang continued her assault as she sent punches and jabs at him. Each blow dazed Adam and cracked the tree behind him, until Yang roared out with a fiery haymaker that sent Adam flying. His body crashed through the forest as it plowed through several trees, and his landing was obscured with a large explosion of smoke and fire.

Yang stood there exhaling as her hair cooled back to yellow and eyes became lilac. She turned at the shocked audience.

"Who else wants some?!" Yang barked. "Is that all you got? Who else wants some?! Do you want some of this?" She pointed to a random faunus.

The faunus vigoursly shook her head as she stepped back. "Yeah, that's want I thought. Now let that be a lesson. You hear me?"

"Yang?" Weiss tried to interrupt.

"Hold on, I got this? Now what are you asshats doing here? Were you going to attack the settlement?" Yang called out.

"We already did." A voice answered.

Yang's eyes widened. She turned her head to see the fading smoke reveal a still standing Adam. His outfit was ripped and one of the horns on his mask were broken off, but he was still standing. Weiss looked horrified as Yang became angry again. "I put you down! I hit you with all I had!" Yang outcries.

"Yes, you did. I would've been in trouble if I didn't block that last attack." Adam raised his now glowing, blood red sword. "It looks like your semblance is a lot like mine. The difference is that I don't have to take damage."

"Now that is bull crap!" Yang exclaimed.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Weiss argued. "A sword isn't a part of your body so how can it be a semblance."

"How can a semblance be genetic?" Adam pointed to Weiss. "Just another mystery." Adam wiped some blood from his lip on his sleeve. "I want you to know that I was only playing with my prey. Now I'm motivated." Adam stated menacingly. He was now wielding Wilt and Blush in each hand.

**\- Lionize (OST)**

Adam rushed the two as they fired dust at him; he either dodged or blocked the rounds. When he was close enough, Adam reflected a dust round back at Yang then shot her with his rifle-scabbard to push her away. He began trading sword strikes with Weiss, however because of their weapons she was parrying more than attacking. Adam shot her foot with Blush then hilt bash her head to knock her down. He went for a downward strike, but Weiss used a glyph to push herself out of the way.

Yang sent a haymaker at Adam that was parried by blush and he slashed her abdomen with Wilt. Yang blazed as with her semblance as she moved to strike Adam. Her blows were either being deflected or partied. If he blocked her with Wilt then he shot with Blush, and when deflected with blush he slashed with Wilt. Weiss moved Adam's body back with a glyph beneath his feet then rapidly thrust at him. He let his body roll into a kickstand to dodge her first strike then stood up to block more attacks.

Adam was holding back both Weiss and Yang as they closed in for close quarters combat. He spun his body around to defend against their hits as they attacked from both sides. Adam sheathed Wilt to block Yang then he shot his sword at Weiss. The hilt staggered her as he grasped the blade back in mid-air and slashed Yang across her thigh. Their defenses broke as Adam combo slashed across both of them. He ended his attacks by sheathing and unsheathing Wilt quickly to deliver a shining red horizontal slash.

The girls were sent flying then were stopped in the air by Weiss glyphs and she fell into a summoned time dilation glyph. Its properties enhanced her speed allowing her to stand much faster, but lost the boost as she ran out to defend the prone Yang. Adam jumped into a downward slash but glyphs halted him. He smashed through most of them, and then used Blush's recoil to retreat back. Weiss summoned ice spikes to toss at him, but they were quickly brushed aside. Adam rolled to the side and continued his charge even as Weiss raised a fire wall; he slashed through it and her.

Before he could attack again, Yang appeared behind Adam and placed her arms around his shoulders in a full-Nelson hood. "Weiss, hit him!" Yang commanded.

Weiss briefly looked hesitant before nodding. She knew that they would have to pull out risky maneuvers to beat him. Lightning was wreathes across myrtenaster as Weiss launched herself with a black glyph. Seeing this coming, Adam shifted into a reverse grip on blush and shot Yang in the head. His ears were ringing now, however he still instinctively ducked as Weiss accidently tackled Yang.

Adam gripped his head while trying to steady his disoriented senses. Yang and Weiss stood up with very upset expressions.

"Just freeze the guy!" Yang ordered.

Weiss responded to the command by sticking her rapier in the ground and freezing a path to Adam's feet. He would have fallen from his body being halted if not for the fact that he was stuck to the ground. Yang yelled out as she ran in for another attack at Adam. With quick thinking, Adam shot some of the ice off, stabbed Wilt into the ground, then flung dirt and mud at Yang.

"Argh!" Yang cried out as cold mud and glass-like dirt was thrown into her eyes.

Yang's attack was stopped as she gripped her face trying to wipe her eyes. Weiss was about to send lightning at Adam, but he reached into a pouch and tossed a grenade at Weiss. The lightning hit the grenade, but it was still very close to Weiss as it went off. The large blast senther flying through the air then harshly skipped across the ground. Then, Adam broke the rest of the ice beneath his feet.

Yang opened one watery eye at the loud noise to see Weiss prone with her hair covering her face as the ponytail had become undone. "You bastard! You call yourself a leader, but you won't even fight fair!" Yang winced as her eyes burned.

"This is a death battle not an exhibition. Besides, you're both just human. Worse yet, one of you is a Schnee. In the end, you will only get what you deserve." The audience cheered at Adam's declaration.

"What's wrong with you people?! You can't just act this way. It's wrong!" Yang declared.

"I won't be lectured about what's right and wrong by someone who doesn't understand suffering. Let's put an end to this." Adam sheathed Wilt to run at Yang.

In response, Yang cocked Ember Celia and launched herself with its recoil. Their attacks were about to collide as the two drew closer together in a sprint. At the last second, Yang braced her leg against the ground to perform a slide. She punched his leg as she rode on her momentum. Adam's aura flashed as he rolled into a crouch and gripped his leg.

Yang recoiled herself forward again for a haymaker to finish Adam. However, he held on to Wilt as he shot blush at Yang. She grabbed the tossed scabbard before it hit her, but fell onto the sword as Adam thrust it forward. A sound like broken glass echoed as it pierced her aura. The blade went through her shoulder and out the other side.

"Augh!" Yang shouted in pain. Adam snatched Blush from Yang as she struggled to pull Wilt out of her shoulder. Her visible aura was cracking as fractures sprouted from the wound across her body.

"Get off." Adam shot her in the face with Blush. Yang's aura broke as she hit the ground.

Adam stalked towards the fallen Yang. She was groaning as she held her injured shoulder. Her eyes widen in fright as Adam approached so she began to crawl her prone body away. Adam effortlessly caught up as he held Wilt above her in both hands as he was about to impale her.

"Don't do it!" Weiss was standing again with messy hair as she called out to Adam.

Adam turned to glare at her. "You don't give me orders, Schnee. Just wait your turn."

"You don't have to kill us! You can take us prisoner." Weiss offered.

"What would I gain from that?" Adam questioned.

"I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Weiss proudly proclaimed. Many of the surrounding faunus booed and sneered but she ignored them. "You will fetch a large sum of profit if you hold me ransom."

"I don't barter with Schnees. Even if I did, that offer would only include you not her." Adam prepared to stab Yang again who was too busy trying to pressure her wound to fight back.

"Please stop! I'll do whatever you ask just spare her life!" Weiss offered.

"Don't grovel for this scumbag, Weiss." Yang groaned.

Adam smacked her head with Blush. "Quite!"

"Stop it!" Weiss yelled.

"Shut up!" Adam yelled to Weiss. "Anything I ask, right? Would you be willing to trade your life for hers?"

Weiss's eyes widened in horror at that. Her mind swirled as she steadied her nervous self.

_'My life for someone else's? How can I possible make that choice?' _Weiss asked herself.

"Tell him to shove it, Weiss! We don't trade lives like they're cheap!" Yang proclaimed. She then cried out as Adam stabbed her thigh.

"Yang, for once please stop talking!" Weiss begged her teammate. Usually she would make that comment whenever Yang annoyed her. Now she was afraid for the blonde's life. Weiss was terrified that one of her teammates, the sister of her partner and leader was going to die in front of her.

"Lives aren't cheap? You're talking to a Schnee, fool. The only lives they value our their own." Adam smirked. "That's why I took the only thing of real value from a Schnee."

Weiss was shaking at that comment.

_"Father! Are you in there?"_ Weiss forcibly shook her head to rid herself of the memories. Now was not a good time to daydream. Weiss narrowed her eyes at Adam. "If you wanted her dead then she'd be dead. You're just playing with us."

"Yes I am, because it's what you deserve for getting in my way. That being said, I really don't need this girl." He twisted the blade in Yang's thigh causing her to scream.

"You sadist!" Weiss accused.

"I don't enjoy her pain, but I'll admit I do enjoy yours." Adam confessed. "So convince me to stop and I'll stop."

"How?" Weiss asked while trying to hide her desperation.

"Like I said. Convince me. Beg." Adam ordered.

"W-What?" Weiss did not expect that reply.

"I want to hear you beg me to stop hurting her; to stop from killing her. Now beg me for mercy!" Adam twisted the blade. Yang was biting down on her hand to hold back the cries.

"B-but I……….." Weiss was appalled. Then she steeled her nerves. "Please, let Yang go."

"Kneel." Adam ordered.

"What?" Weiss questioned.

"Kneel before your superior." Adam reiterated.

"You sicko!" Yang shouted with tears in her eyes. "What do you hope to-" Adam covered her mouth with his hand.

"Bind her." He ordered.

"Stop!" Weiss cried out.

Black Bull members came to drag Yang from Adam as she was attempting to bite him. They placed a collar on her then handed Adam a scroll. He clicked it to send shocks throughout Yang. After that, Weiss went down to her hands and knees.

"Please! Please, stop!" Weiss's eyes began to water.

"Better…" Adam stopped shocking Yang. "...but I'm still not convinced. I want to see you grovel."

Weiss put her face on the dirt as she yelled. "Please don't hurt my friend! She may hate me, but I consider us to be friends. Don't take that away from me! Haven't you taken enough away from me?" Weiss was now openly crying.

"Don't you dare question me." Adam started shocking Yang again.

"I'm begging you!" Weiss responded.

"Begging me?" Adam ceased shocking Yang. "Don't just beg. You have to convince me about letting you keep this girl." Many of the faunus began to laugh at Weiss's predicament.

"P-please." Weiss sniffed. "She's my teammate and I want to keep her safe. Let me help her, I swear I'll do anything. I don't want to be alone anymore so please don't kill my friend!" Weiss screamed. "For once, let me have something!"

Adam was openly laughing with everyone else. "Now that was groveling. Alright, you get to keep your friend." Adam gestured to one of his men. They moved to bind Weiss with another collar as she did not resist. "Do you all see? Even the Schnees bow before our might!" He raised his fist. His followers cheered for him and exclaimed his name.

Yang and Weiss were cuffed by the terrorists who then pushed them to walk forward. Adam spoke up again. "By now the rest of your team should be apprehended. So unless you want to beg for me to let them leave alone, I wouldn't struggle." Adam said as the girls continued walking with their captors.

"Don't worry. You'll see them soon at Valliant." Adam turned to one of his men. "I want these two separated for now. Make sure to keep the blonde stable so she's useful later. Don't lock the Schnee with the other prisoners. Throw her in one of the holding cells.

"Yes, sir." The grunt wandered away to give out the orders to underlings.

"I hope you two enjoy Valliant. I know change is difficult, but with me in charge everything should go smoothly." Adam proclaimed to the girls.

Team RWBY had taken this mission with the objective of fighting off the Black Bulls. Now they were their prisoners and being subjugated by Adam. The thought of being sent to Valliant for an unknown purpose was terrifying. To say it was the worst case scenario would be an understatement. Team RWBY collectively prayed that they would make it out alive.

—————————————————————

A/N: Yikes. Honestly when I was planning this out I didn't think it would end up this dark. That's just how I ended up writing it. For example, there were other scenes with Adam that I cut out because they felt way too wrong.

Btw, if you think the fight outcomes were false then call me out on it. It's not going to change what happened, but I'll gladly explain my reasoning.

For future reference, the next chapter will get pretty grim, too.

**P.S. **I'm planning out another unrelated story. It's a She-ra/ Star Wars AU so if anyone is interested check it out when it's posted.

**Next time: **Subjugate


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